Light, Crisp Waffles with Whipped Yogurt and Maple Cinnamon Butter

Maybe I should change my nickname to “Waffle Queen” instead of “Cupcake Queen”! I think I have more recipes for waffles than cupcakes now. I love waffles that are super crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I was wooed by this recipe from www.finecooking.com  for Light, Crisp Waffles. They definitely live up to their name! I will be making them again for sure. I wanted something a little different for the topping that wasn’t filled with empty calories. The inspiration was Greek yogurt so I found a recipe for whipped yogurt with cream cheese, which you can substitute for full-fat whipping cream and save on fat and calories. And you can’t have waffles without maple flavour. The maple cinnamon butter was originally paired with a recipe for baked sweet potato but I though it would go nicely with waffles, or any breakfast goodies for that matter. Next time I will melt it and use it as a syrup substitute, which was inspired by an old Suzanne Somers recipe for pancake “syrup” which is just melted butter, cinnamon, and her inulin based sweetener. It would probably work just fine with Becel Buttery Taste which has 80% less saturated fat than butter.

All-in-all it was a yummalicious brunch! Fresh strawberries would make a lovely addition. Of course I forgot to take a photo so you’ll just have to take my word for it until I make them again. In the meantime, here’s a photo from the Fine Cooking website.

Light, Crisp Waffles from http://www.finecooking.com Photo by: Scott Phillips.

Light, Crisp Waffles

3-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) bleached all-purpose flour
1 oz. (1/4 cup) cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
6 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large egg, separated
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 200°F and heat the waffle iron. Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a Pyrex measuring cup; mix in the egg yolk and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated. Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (mine takes about 2/3 cup) and cook until the waffle is crisp and nutty brown (follow the manufacturer’s instructions for timing at first and then adjust to your liking). Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don’t stack them). When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately.

Variations

Whole-Grain Waffles: Add 1/4 cup wheat germ to the dry ingredients.

Chocolate Chip Waffles: Stir 1/2 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips) into the batter.

Cornmeal Waffles: Substitute 1/2 cup cornmeal for 1/2 cup of the flour (keep the cornstarch).

Cranberry Orange Waffles: Stir 2 tsp. finely grated orange zest and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries into the batter.

Nutrition information (per serving): Size : per waffle; Calories (kcal): 290; Fat (g): 18; Fat Calories (kcal): 160; Saturated Fat (g): 3; Protein (g): 5; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 4; Carbohydrates (g): 25; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 10; Sodium (mg): 380; Cholesterol (mg): 45; Fiber (g): 1;

Whipped Yogurt Cream

(Cabotcheese.coop) Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package Cabot Neufchatel Reduced Fat Cream Cheese or Cabot Premium Cream Cheese
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 cup Cabot Lowfat Vanilla Bean Greek-Style Yogurt

Directions: Beat Neufchatel or cream cheese in medium bowl with electric mixer for about 1 minute until softened; add confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth and well combined, stopping to scrape down side of bowl as needed. Add yogurt and beat for a minute or two longer until mixture is smooth and fluffy, scraping bowl again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Maple-Cinnamon Butter

(traegergrills.com)

16 tablespoons (2 sticks/1 cup) butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or more to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon and whip with a wooden spoon. (Alternatively, blend the ingredients using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer.) Transfer to a small bowl or crock, cover, and chill until serving time. Or heat on medium power in the microwave in 20 second intervals until melted.