Whole Wheat Banana Waffles

Slightly sweet and nutty banana waffles that are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and perfect for your weekend. (Jump to Recipe)

Is there anything sweeter than someone making you waffles on a weekend morning?

To me, waffles mean love.  They say, “you are special to me.”  They aren’t hard to make, but that little bit of time and effort you put in excites anyone who is greeted with the results.  These crispy little pockets of love could be just the thing you need to make that Valentine in your life feel special this weekend – especially if YOU are your Valentine.  Treat yourself.

Let me tell you a little about my history with waffles.  We’ll start with this: my dad doesn’t cook.  On the rare occasion my mom wasn’t home growing up, I think we either had frozen pizza or went out to dinner.  My mom claims he is able to cook, and apparently he’s taken up the habit of being her sous chef in more recent years, but I haven’t personally witnessed much of that since I don’t live in Philadelphia anymore.  His main area of culinary expertise is the grill, and he usually sticks to his strength.  But the one cooking area that he, and not my mom, always claimed dominion over growing up was waffles.

Waffles will always remind me of Sunday mornings in the summer, when he would set the waffle maker out on the screened-in porch to heat.  I’d help whip up the batter, and then watch as he poured it into the hot iron and meticulously set a timer to ensure all the waffles would be cooked for exactly the same amount of time.  He’s an engineer – he can’t help it.

When all the waffles were done, we’d set them out on a huge plate in the middle of the table on the porch and savor every bite, the lazy sounds of summer all around us.  The stillness and calm of those Sunday mornings remains with me to this day.  No matter what was happening in the world, we were together and we had waffles.

Memories like that calm me even now, when it sometimes feels like the world is falling apart.  I try to replicate the serenity of those moments, even if it’s just for one meal.  Waffles = love.  What if every time we felt like insulting someone’s opinions or lifestyle on social media, we made them waffles instead?  I think the world would be a happier place.

So, let’s spread love this weekend and make some waffles.

There are lots of different ways to make waffles, depending on how you want the texture to be.  I made these with whole wheat flour and bananas to inject some health and fiber into an otherwise indulgent breakfast.  As a result, they are a bit denser than your classic Belgian waffle, but still light and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The batter comes together quite easily: just mash the bananas and whisk with the other wet ingredients, whisk the dry ingredients, then pour the wet into the dry and whisk just until blended.  You don’t want to overdo it because the banana reacts with the gluten in the flour when they are stirred together, and if you stir too much, the end product will be tough.  I know you’ve experienced a banana bread like that before.  It’s not pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, heat your waffle maker to the highest setting.  I find this makes the crispiest, least doughy waffles.  You want to cook them until it stops steaming, but no longer.

Now pile your waffles on a plate for someone you love, make another one for yourself, and let’s get down to business.

I topped mine with sliced bananas and pecans, but you could also do peanut butter, Nutella, chocolate chips(!!), or all of the above.  Don’t forget a generous pour of maple syrup on top…

This is ridiculously, ludicrously good.  So simple but so flavorful.  The waffles are barely sweet from the banana and a little bit of maple syrup, and the whole wheat flour gives it a subtle nuttiness.  I used white whole wheat flour from King Arthur Flour (my favorite!), which is great because it can be used one-for-one in most recipes that call for all-purpose flour.  It has all the same nutrition as regular whole wheat flour, but a lighter texture and more subtle taste.  It’s so good!

I mean, how much better can a weekend morning get?

What should you do with leftover waffles?  Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze.  You now have your very own Eggo waffles.  Just put them in the toaster and you can have this exact breakfast, on a Wednesday.  That’s what real dreams are made of.

Sending all of my love to you in waffle form!

Special shout-out to Colleen, my hand model for this picture 🙂