Waffle Maker Recipes

Kayleigh here. If I had to choose a favorite kitchen appliance, one that I would buy before anything else in a new setup, it would without question be a waffle maker. Now, if you have never picked one up for yourself, it is probably because you are not a huge fan of waffles. Okay, I know, it is in the name- waffles are obviously what this thing is made to make. But take my word for it- my iron has seen a lot more than buttermilk batter. It had become my main machine for on-the-spot gluten free meal prep.

When our household runs out of bread, things are not as easy as running to the closest convenience store for an emergency loaf of WonderBread. So, rather than pile the fixings onto a plate and eating as-is, I whip up a biscuit dough and toss it in the waffle maker. Five minutes later, just pull out the crisped biscuit, tear the two halves in half to expose the fluffy insides, and add all the fixings. Sure, the shape is a little off, but it holds up well to any sauce or spread you throw on it.

Another fantastic use we have found is in making perfectly crisp hash browns. Grate up a couple small Russet potatoes, rinse them off to remove some of the starch, then toss in some salt, garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne. Throw it into the well-greased waffle maker, then remove once the outside is golden brown (may take as much as ten minutes). Strike while the iron is hot, and crack an egg into each quarter- just be careful about closing the top down, if you don't want the yolk to spread out.

Want to get more experimental- try making a moffle! Take out that glutinous rice flour, and mix a cup of it with about 2/3 cups. The consistency should be a somewhat thick paste, but no quite a cohesive dough. Add a pinch of salt, and other spices depending on what you're making, then pour it on the waffle maker until it just starts to brown on the outside. The result will be a thin layer of crisp containing a very gooey, slightly transparent inside- a similar texture to melted mozzarella! I suggest eating it slightly warm, but the toppings are entirely up to you. Strawberries and whipped cream turn it into a lovely dessert, or add shredded cheese and diced pepperoni to the batter, then spread with a thin layer of marinara sauce after it is cooked- moffle pizza!

Jason here. I have been trying to cook crispy hashbrowns for years now. It always felt just a step away, ever eluding me. Well no longer! The hashbrowns have come out crispy and perfect each and every time we cooked them in the waffle maker. To top it off, this made the cleanup even easier.

The moffle dough it creates can only be described as magic. It literally tastes like it has a center of melted mozzarella cheese. The moffle pizza has now become a staple of our diet. It is just so easy to whip up on the spot. Each person can make it their own, by adding there favorite toppings.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Kayleigh here.  When is the last time you indulged in a warm, gooey cinnamon roll? The kind that comes from a high-end bakery, or over a full day of preparation and patience? Don't you wish you could get that kind of satisfaction on a whim, whenever you start to get that craving?

My desire for instant cinnamon buns ended in a realization- I really like waffles, too. And waffles are quite a bit faster than overnight rolls.

So, now the work came of making a waffle batter with the deliciously sweet kick of cinnamon sugar in each bite, and just enough denseness to hold up to the syrupy soaking it would receive. And really, I think these did the job quite well.

Ingredients:

For the waffles (makes 2)

1/4 cup Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup White Rice Flour
1/8 cup Tapioca Starch
Pinch Guar Gum
2 ts Baking Soda
1-2 TB Cinnamon, depending on tastes
2 TB Brown Sugar or Maple Syrup
1 TB Cashew Butter (optional, but adds a richness to the batter)
1 Egg
1/2 cup Milk
1 ts Vanilla Extract
1 TB Butter, melted
Handful Walnuts/Pecans (optional)

Cream Cheese Sauce

4 TB Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 TB Butter
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
Small splash of Almond or Vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Combine all waffle ingredients in a bowl. Mix only until combined- overmixing batters can cause weird texture changes in the final product.
2) Heat up the waffle iron, and begin making those waffles. While you're waiting, mix the cream cheese sauce ingredients in a smaller bowl. If you desire, you can heat it up in a microwave in 10 second intervals. Be careful- cream cheese has a tendency to coat the walls of your microwave if you are not watching closely.
3) Once both waffles are done, cover them in the sauce and serve up hot!

Other variations: If you find the waffles to be too dry, or miss that cinnamon sugar filling, then microwave a mixture of 2Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, and a pinch of powdered Ginger. Also, if you're not a big cream cheese fan, you can always mix up a standard milk and sugar glaze ( I won't put a recipe up here, but you should be able to find one easy enough)

Jason here. First thing, always be careful when microwaving the cream cheese sauce. Any sauce really, but I have found anything with sugar to come out like lava, if microwaved for even a second too long. Second, these are really delicious. We whipped up a generous amount of cream cheese sauce and kept the extra in the fridge, since it reheats so nicely. Delicious cinnamon bun waffles for breakfast before heading off to work really started my day off right.

Gluten free baking has been a very odd experience for me. So far we have been trying to duplicate different baked goods. This of course makes it impossible to bake the exact same thing using different ingredients. I have no other better way of describing it other than saying it is a weird mental sensation. I look at something we have baked, say bread, and think to myself this will taste exactly like the bread I have always tasted. I can’t help but to think that. This means even if tastes fine, it still doesn’t taste like “bread”. 

Thankfully, these unique tasting experiments we create can be repurposed. The cinnamon bun waffles are such an example. When I eat the cinnamon bun waffles, I don’t have a preconceived notion of what they should taste like, what their texture should be. I only know that they taste delicious, and the waffles we created work perfectly.

So I’ll end this post by saying, don’t be afraid to repurpose things you cook. Just because it didn’t come out exactly how you would like for one dish, doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect for another.

Deliciously G-Free Cookbook Review

With the internet as our arsenal, Jason and I started our journey of gluten free enlightenment with an enormous array of contradicting and confusing information. While many websites offer gluten free recipes by substituting with GF all-purpose flour, many others recommend shunning the stuff whenever possible, since they tend to be largely diluted with inexpensive potato and rice flours. But, if the mixes are so bad, then what kind of flours SHOULD we buy?

The saving grace in this madness came as an housewarming/engagement present: the Deliciously G-Free cookbook. Yes, it was written by a celebrity. No, this doesn't mean you should ignore it. The beginning of the book shares her story of diagnosis, and how she turned it around into an adventure. The preface then turns into a very thorough explanation of common flours, starches, and gums, explaining not only what they are, but how they behave, and what they help do in gluten free cooking and baking.

From this book, we were able to make a list, and scoured every market in the area (and even a few on the internet), and quickly found that nearly every grocery store in the area had a decent selection in stock for a fair price. With tens of flours now in hand, we made.....waffles.

Well....we used the cookbook's pancake recipe, added chocolate chips, and made waffles. We kinda forgot to buy the sour cream and lemon needed for the book's waffle recipe. But they came out fantastic nonetheless. So fantastic that we made them again a week later.

The recipes in the book range the whole breakfast-to-dessert gamut, so we definitely recommend it for beginning gluten-free cookers, or simply anyone who'd like a few more recipes on the shelf. We'll certainly be trying quite a few of the meals out in the future!

Jason here. The book has been fantastic. As Kayleigh mentioned, the introduction discussing all of the gluten alternative flours is really helpful if you want to do any of your own baking.

The waffles did indeed turn out very well. They were crispy on the outside, but still light and fluffy on the inside. My favorite part was of course the added chocolate chips. I will probably add more next time. Maybe toss some sliced banana's on top.