Peanut Butter Waffles

One night last week my mom stopped by and dropped off the most recent issue of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine (a fair exchange, I think, for some strawberry rhubarb preserves and a few Nutella chip cookies).  It’s one of my favorites for its simple (i.e. generally short ingredient lists) and inexpensive recipe ideas.  Shane wasn’t home that night and I wasn’t in the mood to cook so my original dinner plan was roasted asparagus and popcorn.  A perfectly balanced meal, right? :)  As I sat on the couch flipping through the pages of the magazine, I came across this recipe for peanut butter waffles and the plan changed.  I still had the roasted asparagus (it’s my very favorite veggie, and it kills me the season is so short!), and I supplemented with a waffle.  Shane never wants breakfast for dinner, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to do it.

I only pull out my waffle maker about once a year so I’m not very adept at using it.  This time that meant I overfilled the wells (not a fun mess to clean up) and overcooked the waffles slightly.  Still, I really enjoyed them – crisp on the outside and tender on the inside with just a hint of peanut butter flavor.  I served mine with a few slices of banana, a dusting of powdered sugar and some maple syrup, but I also think these could be a fun dessert option with a little chocolate syrup, some banana slices and maybe a scoop of ice cream.  You can make them ahead and freeze them too – they reheated fairly well in the toaster.

Peanut Butter Waffles
from Everyday Food, May 2011

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
bananas, maple syrup for serving (optional)

Preheat waffle iron.  If you want to make all of the waffles before serving, preheat oven to 275 F, set a wire rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet and pop in the oven.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  In your blender combine the melted butter and peanut butter, and blend until smooth.  Add the buttermilk and eggs and blend to combine.  Pour the wet ingredients from the blender over the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. 

Fill the wells of the waffle iron and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  You want the waffles golden brown when they’re finished.  Serve with bananas and maple syrup, if desired.  (Transfer the waffles to the wire rack in the oven to keep warm if not serving immediately.)

Yield will depend on size/shape of your waffle iron