Light and Fluffy Belgian Waffles

This year for Christmas, Simon got me a Belgian Waffle Maker. I had been asking for one for months and am so excited to begin trying recipes. It was definitely a kitchen themed Christmas. I also got a blender, measuring spoons, and a few cook books. Our new place is still sparingly furnished (thats a good way to say it) so all the small appliances were much appreciated.

After trying out several incarnations of the Belgian Waffle recipe, we decided that yeast in the batter made the waffles too dense and heavy. Many recipes completely excluded sugar in the batter making something bland and bread-like. Other recipes used way too much sugar making the addition of maple syrup a diabetic nightmare. Who wants Belgian Waffles with out maple syrup?

After much fiddling in the kitchen every Sunday morning since Christmas, Ive finally come up with a PaperCakes original Belgian Waffle recipe. It produces light and fluffy waffles which end up with gold and crispy pockets and just a touch of sweetness that doesn't over power your toppings of choice.

Light And Fluffy Belgian Waffles

TIP: If you're going to make fresh whipped cream with breakfast, put your mixing bowl and whisk into the freezer before you start mixing the ingredients for the waffles. By the time your ready to whip the bowl and whisk will be ice cold and your cream will fluff up faster and more smooth!

Ingredients

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 4 Tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs, Separated
• 1 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Butter, Melted
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder.
2. In a second bowl mix together egg yolks, milk, butter, and vanilla. Combine with dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
3. Finally, in a clean, dry bowl beat egg whites until still peaks form. Make sure that all the egg whites in the bowl have been beaten evenly. When mixing by hand you are often left with a top layer of perfect fluffy texture and a bottom layer of raw whites. Avoid this by continually tilting the bowl while mixing.
4. Bake on medium high heat (or according to your waffle maker directions) on a preheated Belgian Waffle Iron until gold and crispy. The waffles should easily lift off the iron. If they stick, they aren't cooked well enough.

We love to eat our waffles with real maple syrup, some sliced bananas, fresh whipped cream, and topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Berries also make a great topping! 

Unfortunately the maple Syrup in Europe isn't what I would call maple syrup at all. You can get this sticky, sugar water style sauce in the "specialty" super markets, and I've even seen Aunt Jemima bottles sold in the "American" section of a few very international stores. My parents send us boxes with food staples in them from the states about once a month or so and they always include some pure NY maple syrup along with Nestlé Tollhouse Chocolate Chips and Domino Brown Sugar. My German friends laugh when I open boxes full of 2 lb bags of chocolate chips. 

What foods from home couldn't you live with out?