Belgian Waffles

I have made these waffles a few times and I think they are better than most 'regular' waffle recipes.  The last time I made them, I quadrupled the recipe and made a TON (and I do mean a TON) to put in the freezer for quick breakfasts.  It is pretty funny to see a huge vat of waffle batter in an extra large bowl.  G operated the waffle maker and he was great; it did take a extremely long time to make that many waffles.  However, it was well worth it!  We had delicious, homemade waffles whenever we liked.  All we did was thaw as many pieces as we needed and toasted them for one cycle on a fairly low toaster setting.  I admit, I love them with fresh strawberries and a little homemade whipped cream, it is wonderful!

Easy Homemade Belgian Waffles


from Simply Sugar and Gluten-free p. 17

1 1/2 cups Basic Flour Blend (will reference below)
2 tablespoons palm sugar (I use Big Tree Farms Sweet Tree Organic Coconut Palm Sugar)
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk (I use rice milk)
2 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I have used salted butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Berry Syrup (optional, p. 19 - will reference below)

1. Preheat a waffle iron on medium-high heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, palm sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.  Stir one-fourth of the egg whites directly into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.
4. Lightly mist the waffle iron with cooking spray (I use butter and whip off the excess).  Add the appropriate amount of batter for your waffle iron and cook until golden brown and crispy.  To keep the waffles warm, place them on a wire cooling rack set on a large baking sheet in a 200 degree oven.  This keeps the waffles from getting soggy by sitting directly on a baking sheet.  Serve with syrup, if using.

My notes:
- If you make a large batch of waffles, we spread the extra waffles out to cool completely before freezing them.
- Most gluten-free cookbooks use their own special gluten-free flour blend.  I have mixed this flour blend and haven't used it for many other recipes yet, I am looking forward to trying it with some of her muffin recipes.
- I use the coconut palm sugar in the recipe in place of refined sugar in quite a lot of cooking/baking and even in my coffee, it works great!

Basic Flour Blend


from Simply Sugar and Gluten-free p. 212

4 cups garbanzo-fava bean flour
4 cups sorghum flour
2 cups potato starch
1 1/3 cups tapioca starch

Mix well and store in an airtight container, preferably in the refrigerator.

Maple Berry Syrup


from Simply Sugar and Gluten-free p. 19

1 cup frozen mixed berries, thawed (or I have used fresh berries)
1 large ripe banana
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 to 2 tablespoons grade-B maple syrup
pinch of cinnamon (I leave this out)
pinch of salt

1. Puree the berries in a mini-food chopper (or blender) or a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Push the puree through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds (I skip this part because I like the texture).  Return the puree to the food chopper (blender) or food processor, add the banana, and puree unitl smooth.  Add the applesauce, 1 tablespoon make syrup, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Taste and add more maple syrup if desired (I use only one tablespoon because I like the fruit flavor).
2. Transfer the syrup to a microwave-safe bowl or serving dish and heat unitl warm.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!!