Cookbook Chronicles: Wonderful Waffles

Cookbook Chronicles is an on-going series at The Bookery. Over the course of the next year, we’re exploring The Pioneer Woman’s (Ree Drummond) latest cookbook, The Essential Recipes, cooking one recipe a month and sharing our thoughts. 

For a while, I pretty much gave up on making the perfect waffle at home. I like my waffles tender on the inside, but perfectly crisp on the outside — and every time I attempted to make them at home, the waffles turned out limp and lackluster. I recently found a sourdough discard waffle recipe that allows me to make my perfect waffle, but that didn't stop me from giving Ree's latest recipe a try!

The recipe: Wonderful Waffles, p. 3

The cookbook: The Essential Recipes by Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman

The details: If you like to make waffles from a mix you buy at the grocery store, this from-scratch recipe may not be the one for you because it really does involve several steps and a lot of bowls. Ree's waffle recipe, one she's perfected over the years, involves all the usual players: flour, sugar, brown sugar,eggs and vanilla to name a few. This recipe does call for 2 egg yolks (added to the wet ingredients) and 4 egg whites, beaten until they're stiff and added separately from the yolks. So, if you're looking for a quick weekday breakfast solution, this recipe may not work. But the amazing thing about waffles is that you can freeze leftovers and they're great after a little reheat in the air fryer. (This hack will change your life for sure!)

The adjustments: I like most Pioneer Woman recipes, mostly because they're real food that real people want to eat. But one thing I don't love about Ree's recipes is that they make so many servings. Because I already had some sourdough discard waffles in my freezer, I decided to half this recipe.

The verdict: These waffles really were wonderful. They didn't get quite as crisp as I wanted them to, but they were tasty and a nice addition to a slow Saturday morning. BUT, all that said, I do prefer my tried-and-true sourdough version, so I'll probably keep making (and freexxing) those.

Up Next: Million Dollar Spaghetti, p. 146

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