Breakfast, Recipes, Waffles

Sweet Potato Waffles

Making waffles at home always makes me feel fancy. There’s something special about food that can only be shaped in a mold. They remind me of going out to breakfast when I was growing up since my mom used to always order waffles when we’d eat out. Sometimes I would order a big Belgian waffle too, which is something I haven’t had from a restaurant in years. Nowadays when I go out for breakfast I usually order a fancy omelette or pancakes. And that’s because I now make my waffles at home!

These Sweet Potato Waffles are the newest waffle recipe I’ve tried and I am so glad to say that it’s a keeper! I loved the subtly-sweet flavor of the sweet potato complemented by orange zest, cinnamon, and vanilla. It reminded me of a ligher version of everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole. My husband, like Lindsay’s was initially skeptical of the sweet potato inclusion in a classic breakfast dish, but he turned his frown upside down after a bite of these delicious waffles. We enjoyed them as a quick dinner after a workout last week alongside some orange slices and bacon but I see no reason why they wouldn’t be equally delicious for a lazy Saturday morning. You could also prepare a batch in advance, freeze them, and then defrost as needed during the week. I used to do that all the time and love it… the toaster oven works best for re-heating, though if your toaster is big enough [or the waffles small enough] then that works too. I haven’t done that in awhile, I should definitely jump back on the frozen waffle bandwagon. Move over, Eggos! The Pajama Chef is here. 🙂 Enjoy!

Note: I’ve recently had problems with my FeedBurner email/rss subscriptions. Be sure to sign up again on the right if need be so you don’t miss a post. Thanks!

Sweet Potato Waffles [adapted from The Lean Green Bean]

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • zest of 1 large orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Peel and dice sweet potato. Place in a large measuring cup and add a little water then microwave on high for about 4-5 minutes to cook. Add butter and mash [or pre-cook in the oven, I just was pressed for time]. Let cool for a minute or two while you turn on your waffle iron to preheat. Then, add milk, sugar, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla and stir to combine. Fold in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Scoop by 1/3-1/2 cup increments onto hot waffle iron [I used about 1/3 of a cup while Lindsay used about 1/2 of a cup]. Batter will puff up a lot but don’t worry, these will be well worth the mess! Cook until golden brown and serve with butter and syrup/brown sugar.

Click here for the printable version: Sweet Potato Waffles

Breakfast, Recipes, Waffles

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

There’s nothing like a good waffle, hot and crispy off the waffle iron. Belgian waffles are one of my favorite part about staying at hotels with free breakfasts. Recently, Ben and I were in the waffle mood and we found this recipe and wanted to try it out. This recipe seemed perfect because it incorporated Ben’s love of bacon with the crispy waffle goodness I love, plus a dash of sugar and spice and everything nice!

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles... because why should you have to choose between bacon and waffles?!
Perfect? Yes, yes they are.

They are so good, no syrup is required. Just make these now. But beware… don’t be like me… you’ll see what I mean below. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Print

from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

  • 5 slices bacon
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay bacon out in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1/8 cup brown sugar. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until bacon is crisp and sugar is caramelized. Remove bacon from baking sheet to cool on a cutting board [they will stick to paper towels], then chop when cooled.

stove
How to not be like me #1: This is what happens when you do not use a rimmed baking sheet…

…grease spills all over the inside of your oven [hardly any of that mess was there before]. Smoke billows across your entire apartment. The fire alarm goes off. The cat runs to the spare bedroom in fear and hides under the bed. The husband turns off the fire alarm. The back door is propped open. You eat a piece of bacon. All is okay in the world.

Back to the recipe now…. mmhmmm…

Prepare your waffle iron, turn it on to preheat.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, then add the chopped bacon. Do not overmix–batter will be lumpy.

Cook according to your waffle iron’s specifications and enjoy!

waffle iron
How to not be like me #2: Don’t overfill your waffle iron…
overflowing waffle
because then it will overflow like this! Still tasty though!

Note: If you don’t eat bacon, feel free to leave out the bacon [obviously] and add some extra cinnamon and nutmeg to the mix!

Question of the Day:

What’s your favorite breakfast food? On weekends, I like waffles. Or pancakes. Or cinnamon rolls. Today I enjoyed a smoothie. I also like oatmeal. I might go have some more breakfast now…