Whole Wheat Waffles: Take 2

Andy got home late from work, Noah was covered in hives, and supper was half-done.

I hand Andy a piece of whole wheat waffle. "Eat this. It has a chocolate chip in it."

He eats it.

Me: "How was it?"

Him: "Fine. Why?"

Me: "It's whole wheat. I didn't get plain batter done for you. You can either eat these with us or make a frozen pizza once the kids are in bed."

Him: "I'll eat these."

WOW. I think I would have fallen over in shock if I wasn't holding a hivey baby.

HE ATE THEM.

After supper, "How were your waffles?"

"Pretty good."

PRETTY GOOD???? I got PRETTY GOOD for whole wheat waffles? Again, I would have fallen over in shock if I wasn't holding the still hivey baby.

The Brewer game distracted him from what he was eating, but it's still amazing. Here's the recipe for these terrific whole wheat waffles:

(He doesn't know they had applesauce in them. I figured that might put him over the edge.)

Whole Wheat Waffles (10 square waffles, 20 min)

1 3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 TB baking powder

1 TB sugar

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites

1 3/4 c milk

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1. In large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. In small bowl, beat egg yolks, milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture all at once. Stir until blended.

2. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold whites into batter. Do not overmix.

3. Pour batter into waffle iron sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cook until done, about 3-5 minutes.

Notes:

*To keep waffles warm while making the batch, heat oven to 200 and place cooked waffles on wire rack.

*Waffles can be frozen and reheated in a toaster. If planning to freeze waffles, cook waffles for slightly less time than usual.

VERDICT:

Cost: Storemade: $3.39 for 8, Homemade: $0.75 for 10

Overall:

These homemade waffles win! I am thrilled to find whole wheat waffles that actually taste good! Of course, their taste isn't quite as good as regular waffles, but they're much better than any other whole wheat waffle recipe that I have tried. They have the texture of regular waffles, not cardboard. Their color is more golden than the usual dark brown of whole wheat. If you eat them with chocolate chips or strawberry sauce like we did, you definitely won't know much of a difference. For the cost savings and health benefits, this is now our go-to waffle recipe.

My inspiration: adapted from SparkPeople

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love cheap muffin mixes. Dump it in a bowl, add milk, and it's set to go.

It can't get much easier than that. And they even taste good!

So, how much more time would it take to make them from scratch?

About 5 minutes, if you have a baby in one arm.

Probably half that time without the baby.

VERDICT:

Cost: Storemade: 99 cents for 6, Homemade: 90 cents for 14

Overall:

I'm calling it a tie. I think "muffins-from-a-bag" have a slight edge over homemade's flavor. Plus, they're effortless. But I have a crazy obsession with trying to make my own. I've tried every chocolate chip muffin recipe. Every batch ends up too dry or flavorless. This recipe is the best combination of ingredients so far. The sour cream keeps them moist and adds subtle flavor. (My husband never knew they had sour cream.)

The muffins pictured are from this recipe, but they did not have the topping or mini chips. They still tasted good, but I am definitely going back to the mini chips and topping!

Chocolate Chip Muffins (14 muffins, 25 min)

2 c flour

1/4 c white sugar

1/4 c brown sugar, packed

1 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 c milk

1/3 c oil

1/4 c sour cream

1/2 c miniature chocolate chips

Topping (optional)

2 TB brown sugar

3 TB white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400. In large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.

2. In small bowl, beat egg, milk, and oil. Stir liquids and sour cream into dry ingredients just until moistened.

3. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill lined or greased muffin tins about two-thirds full.

4. If desired, mix brown sugar and white sugar for topping. Sprinkle on top of muffins. You wil have extra topping left over.

5. Bake 16-18 min. Cool for 5 min before removing to a wire rack.

Notes:

*Sour cream can be omitted. The muffins won't be quite as moist.

*Regular chocolate chips can be used, but miniature ones make the muffins have a more consistent taste.

My inspiration: Bits and pieces from every recipe I've seen - this recipe is truly my own!

Waffle Showdown Part 2: Classic Waffles

Leggo my Eggo!

I just realized what that means. Wow, 26 years of thinking it had some connection to Lego toys.

Leggo = let go.

The Waffle People claim that for exceptional waffles, the egg whites must be beaten until stiff and then added to the batter last.

Hold a mixer for 3 straight minutes, bounce a fussy baby, and sing "Lollipop"? I don't think so.

Buy me a Kitchenaid.

Otherwise this recipe works whether or not you beat the egg whites.

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Store

Taste: Home

Health: Home (although neither are very nutritious)

Overall:

Homemade easily wins. These were foolproof to make. They were light and tender on the inside, crisp on the outside. I had intended to make these for my husband and eat whole grain ones myself. After trying these, I had to make some for myself. While I like the texture of Eggos, the homemade ones seem much more "wholesome". Next time I'll experiment with substituting half whole wheat flour and half applesauce for the all purpose flour and oil to add some nutritional value.

Classic Waffles (12 square waffles, 15 min)

2 eggs

1 3/4 c milk

1/2 c oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 c all purpose flour

1 TB sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1. Beat eggs until fluffy.

2. Add remaining ingredients and beat just until smooth.

3. Preheat waffle iron. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into iron. Cook until golden brown.

Notes:

*Only cook till light golden brown.

My inspiration

P.S. Anyone know a trick for getting a waffle to be just one color and not varying shades of brown? Look at my picture again if you need a visual.

Waffle Showdown Part 1: Whole Grain Waffles

Whole grains.

I'm trying, I really am.

I think we need to compromise.

Oatmeal, popcorn, a scoop of flaxseed or wheat germ here and there are all great.

But replacing all purpose flour with whole wheat flour is totally different territory. Generally, I've done it in moderation. Instead of 2 c of all purpose flour, we use 1 c all purpose and 1 c whole wheat.

I'm happy with that.

So I crossed the line last night and made whole grain waffles. I LOVE Kashi whole grain waffles, so I was hoping for something similar. I used a recipe with great ratings.

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Store

Taste: Store

Health: Home

Overall:

Kashi wins. There's a reason they hire professionals to make whole grains taste good. These homemade waffles were light and airy, but tasted like cardboard. I even tried adding cinnamon and diced apples. I ate a couple and threw the rest away. Maybe I did something wrong? If I ever feel adventurous and try this recipe again, I'd take out some of the flaxseed. The recipe had great reviews, so try at your own risk. Otherwise we have our first store-made winner: Kashi waffles!

(Note: I put chocolate chips in Anna's waffle - she ate it without hesitation. But lately she's a bottomless pit. I'm not sure she tastes food anymore.)

Whole Grain Waffles (12 squares waffles, 15 min)

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 c milk

1/4 c canola oil

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c flax seed meal

1/4 c wheat germ

1/4 c all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 TB sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Beat until smooth.

3. Preheat waffle iron. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in batter. Cook until crisp and brown.

My inspiration

IHOP Pancakes

Living in one of the most segregated cities in the U.S., there are 2 places where you'll find an equal mix of people.

IHOP and Walmart.

Nothing like good deals and pancakes to bring the world together.

It's amazing that people gladly pay about $3.99 for 3 pancakes which cost pennies to make.

Not that I have anything against IHOP. I just know that for my family of 4 to eat there, it's going to end up costing us close to twenty bucks.

These homemade pancakes really do taste like IHOP pancakes. (But I won't vouch for them having any nutritional value.)

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Home

Taste: Equal

Health: Store (only because you'll eat fewer in the store than at home!)

Overall:

Homemade wins. I can make these in less time than it would take the waitress to serve us. It's a two-step recipe, which always appeals to me. My family devours a whole batch in record time. I don't make them regularly since they're not too healthy, but they are a good treat on a Saturday morning.

IHOP Pancakes (about 20 pancakes, 15 min)

1 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tsp baking powder

1 c milk

1/4 c oil

1 egg

1. Combine dry ingredients.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and egg. Slowly whisk together dry and wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Batter should be slightly lumpy.

3. Heat skillet to 375. Pour 1/4 c batter onto skillet. Flip pancake when edges are brown and batter is bubbly.

Notes:

*Use a nonstick skillet or griddle. Do not grease it. If you grease it, the pancakes will not look like IHOP pancakes.

*Great with chocolate chips