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Dec 26 2014

Gingerbread Waffles

“I’m making waffles for lunch. Would you and the kids like to have some?”

I basically knew the answer before my sister replied. Who in their right mind would refuse waffles for lunch?

My sister (who lives in the upstairs portion of our house with her hubby and kiddos) graciously offered to watch my little girl while I cooked. It’s a bit difficult to take photos while your toddler is wiggling your tripod. I whipped up a batch as quickly as I could (it takes a little time when you’re documenting each step) and called my sister and her kids downstairs to taste my creation.

We quickly devoured most of waffles. When I asked the kids if they liked them, they readily agreed.

This Gingerbread Waffle recipe, brought to us by the lovely Emily, is basically an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast (or any meal of the day). And I’m very much okay with that. But they aren’t sickeningly sweet. There’s plenty of wiggle room to customize the sweetness with syrup or powdered sugar.

Let me show you how I made them!

Look at these lovely ingredients: brown sugar (I used Sucanat), eggs, buttermilk (I used milk mixed with vinegar), molasses, butter, flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.

Begin by separating your eggs.

Mix the brown sugar and egg yolks together until smooth. Mine wasn’t very smooth since I used Sucanat.

Pour in the molasses …

Then the buttermilk …

… and finish off with the (melted) butter.

Stir it all together until it’s well combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Beat your egg whites until stiff peaks form. I’m pretty sure I went a little too far. I would suggest stopping on the softer side of stiff.

Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Softly fold the egg whites into the batter.

Preheat your waffle iron. Scoop about a third of a cup of batter onto each section (the amount of batter needed will depend on the size of your waffle maker).

Cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It took about 2 1/2 minutes to cook mine.

Serve hot with butter (duh) and maple syrup and/or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Notes:
1. If there was one thing (slightly) lacking in these waffles, it was the texture. I’m pretty sure it was because I beat the egg whites too long. I would definitely suggest erring on the softer side.
2. The texture and the taste actually improved as these sat. I reheated my waffles in a toaster.
3. I think whipped cream would be a lovely addition. I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. Oh well, guess I’ll have to make another batch.

Many thanks to Emily for sharing this recipe with us. I have been following her blog, One Lovely Life, for quite some time. There she shares more recipes and bits of her family life. Make sure you check it out!

Printable Recipe

Gingerbread Waffles

by emily {onelovelylife} on December 8, 2010 in Christmas, Holidays

See post on emily {onelovelylife}’s site!

4.60 Mitt(s) 5 Rating(s) 5 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5

Description

Just like eating Christmas for breakfast. They’re even better with buttermilk syrup.

Ingredients

⅔ cups Brown Sugar
2 whole Large Eggs, Yolks And Whites Separated
1-½ cup Buttermilk (or Regular Milk Plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons Vinegar)
½ cups Molasses
6 Tablespoons Butter
2 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1-½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves
¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoons Ground Cardamom (optional, But Recommended)

Preparation Instructions

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and egg yolks until smooth and creamy. Stir in buttermilk, molasses, and butter.

Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.

In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks have formed.

Add liquid mixture into sifted dry ingredients and stir together. Fold in egg whites.

Cook according to waffle iron instructions.

(In my waffle iron, using 1/3-cup scoops, I made 16 waffles.)

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Erica Kastner has always been one of our most cherished members of the Tasty Kitchen community. She shares her wonderful recipes and amazing food photography on her blog, Buttered Side Up, and she also writes about crafts and posts more of her beautiful photography in her personal blog, Simple Days. There really isn’t much that this amazing young wife and mother can’t do, and we’re thrilled she does some of it here.

Caramel Apple Bread and Butter Pudding

Dec 24 2014

Looks Delicious! Hot Buttered Rum Nog

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Here’s a warm, comforting drink for you to enjoy as soon as you get a chance to sit down, put your feet up, and rest after all the hustle and bustle of your day. Most folks probably already have their evening plans set, but whether you’re staying in or heading out, there’s always room for a special treat before bed. This Hot Buttered Rum Nog from TK member Anita is just the reward you need after a long day.

Have a great day, friends!

Dec 19 2014

World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by DessertForTwo in Baking

Please join us in welcoming Tina from Dessert for Two to the Tasty Kitchen Blog! She’s tempted us for years with all kinds of sweet and savory creations, and what better way to start things off than with these cookies from Sarah. They look perfect! Welcome to the TK Blog, Tina, and thanks for the recipe, Sarah!

When Sarah submitted this recipe to Tasty Kitchen and called it World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, you know I’m going to check her. I just appointed myself the official tester of all “world’s best recipes.” Life is pretty sweet.

So, girlfriend claimed world’s best, and I claim she’s right. Sarah’s chocolate chip cookie recipe has a few unusual ingredients, and it has very specific instructions. I love a recipe with very strict instructions. It doesn’t mean I always follow them, but it does mean that I try it exactly as written the first time around. In this case, I tested the recipe with a 2-hour freezing period, like Sarah recommends, and without a freezing period. Sarah was right, again. Girlfriend knows her cookies! Let’s all tip our hats to Sarah for bringing the world dense, thick chocolate chip cookies the size of scones!

  Here’s your lineup of ingredients. Pretty standard for CCC (chocolate chip cookies, if you didn’t know), but that corn starch is catching your eye isn’t it? Are we making pudding or cookies? Definitely cookies. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

It all starts out innocently enough (doesn’t it always?)—cream the butter, shortening and two types of sugar together. After about 2 minutes, the mixture is fluffy and has slightly lightened in color. That’s how you know it’s time to add the eggs. Don’t skimp on creaming!

These cookies have quite a bit more brown sugar than granulated white sugar. I think this is key to their soft, chewy flavor. I’m not complaining one bit!

After the eggs and 1 whole tablespoon of vanilla (definitely not a typo!) are incorporated, it’s time to add the dry ingredients, which includes flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and coarse salt. What does cornstarch do for cookies? I’m so glad you asked! Cornstarch makes cookies chewy. It softens the cookies and allows for that soft and chewy inside while the edges of the cookie stay crisp. Good call, Sarah. Good call.

Sarah calls for mini chocolate chips. At first, I had my doubts. But I soon realized that mini chocolate chips mean I’m guaranteed a chocolate chunk in every single bite. I love the way this girl thinks!

The most important part of this recipe is to make 1/4 cup scoops of the dough and freeze them for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. The first time I made this recipe, I wanted cookies right away. So, I baked off 6 real quick without freezing. The cookies worked just fine, but the ones I baked the following day that had a nap in the freezer held together better and had a denser crumb. My best advice when making this recipe is to make the full batch for the freezer, but it’s okay to make just a few cookies right away, too. I’m the last person to tell you to hold off on your cookie craving.

There you have it! The world’s best chocolate chip cookies, if you like thick, large and dense cookies chock full of chocolate. Thanks for a great recipe, Sarah! Check out her blog, Simple & Sweets. I’m sure it’s packed with more great recipes like this.

Recipe notes: The original recipe calls for salted butter, but I almost always bake with unsalted butter. I used it out of habit. Next time I bake these, I’ll use salted butter, and I’m sure they’ll be just as delicious.

Printable Recipe

World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Sarah on June 17, 2014 in Cookies, Desserts

See post on Sarah’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s) 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

Description

The thickest and chewiest chocolate chip cookies. Hands down the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever had! This is my most requested recipe!

Ingredients

4-½ cups All-purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
2 sticks Butter, Softened
½ cups Shortening
1-½ cup Brown Sugar
½ cups Granulated Sugar
2 whole Eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 bag Mini Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, 10-12 Ounce Bag

Preparation Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.

3. Add your dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir just until everything is combined. Do not over mix. Mix in the mini chocolate chips.

4. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop dough into rounded discs and place on a plate that’s small enough to fit into your freezer. Freeze for at least 2 hours or up to 3 months.

5. If you’re not going to use the dough right away, transfer the frozen dough to a freezer bag to keep them fresh.

6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

7. Place frozen dough directly onto a greased cookie sheet leaving about 2 inches between each.

8. Bake for about 15 minutes or until you see golden brown spots form on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.

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Growing up in a food-obsessed family and spending a lot of time in her Aunt Rose’s restaurant as a child, Christina was destined to be a fantastic cook. She’s a private chef during the day, but cooks for two at home. Like all of us, she has a sweet tooth that needs indulging after dinner. After becoming frustrated with the lack of recipes made for two, especially in the dessert category, she took matters into her own hands and started her blog, Dessert for Two, to share how she takes Southern classics (and a few surprises) and turns them into recipes that are perfect for just a few people. Her first cookbook is due out in February 2015.

Dec 17 2014

Let’s Talk Last-Minute Meals

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

We live in busy times, and few seasons are as busy as the one we’re in now. The shopping centers are teeming with people, there are friends to visit, parties to attend, and the doorbell rings a bit more often, announcing guests both expected and unexpected.

With everything going on and filling up the day’s hours, sometimes dinnertime sneaks up on you so quickly, it’s easy to get caught without any plans for the meal that should be on the table in about half an hour or so. Takeout is always an option, but sometimes that can be more money that you’d like to spend, and not as healthy as something you make in your own kitchen.

We’ve all had to scramble to pull together a meal in a hurry, so I know you have some last-minute tricks up your sleeve that you pull together out of whatever you usually have in your fridge or pantry. So let’s help each other deal with these occasional crises! Tell us:

What’s your favorite dish for those last-minute meals?

My usual standby is a meat and vegetable stir fry with jasmine rice. Sometimes, if I have corn tortillas on hand, I’ll wing it with tostadas or tacos using whatever I have in the fridge. And when all else fails, I’ll make something with eggs, because I almost always have eggs in the fridge.

How about you? What quick and easy meals do you whip up when you glance at the time and find it’s half an hour to dinnertime? Come share below!

Dec 15 2014

Lemon and Garlic Drenched Brussels Sprouts

Posted by cookincanuck in Step-by-Step Recipes

Looking for a side dish that you can make throughout the fall and winter? These Lemon and Garlic Drenched Brussels Sprouts by Tasty Kitchen member Gaby will fit the bill.

Dec 12 2014

Looks Delicious! Sausage and Corn Chowder

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

When the temperatures start dropping, nothing battles the chilly weather quite like a big bowl of soup. Chowder, to be exact.

Dec 10 2014

Coffee Talk

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

There are so many different gadgets, contraptions, and machines dedicated to coffee, and we want to know what you use, how you use it, and how you make each cup just so, perfectly perfect for you.