Secret Ingredient to make the Best Crispy (cornmeal) Waffles! (*whoops!*)
Waffle Night.
My family loves it! If we haven’t had waffles in a good while, my daughter Amalia will offer to make them, knowing that if I get a night off from being head cook, I’ll agree to nearly anything. It’s not hard to agree to having hot waffles with fruit and sausages served to me as if I’m a queen. A lucky queen who is served waffles with a secret ingredient that really does make them irresistible.
And, you know, every Queen I’ve ever known personally (ahem) enjoys some exceptional waffles for breakfast, too. Every inmate of our home enjoys hot breakfasts, and some crispy-edged waffles, served hot with berries, brown sugar and cream . . . oh my! . . . well, hot breakfasts just don’t get much better than that.
And you. You, my lucky Gentle Reader, get the secret from me completely free of charge because I love you and appreciate your popping in week after week, to follow what’s going on in this little corner of the interwebs.
Yummm!
First, my favorite old cookbook tells so many stories
I’ll start with a few pictures of this old cookbook of mine, first, because I love it and I like to share things I love with you, gentle reader.
Here’s one of my favorite cookbooks: “Trinity Treasures” sans the cover!
I’m attached to this cookbook for many reasons:
- My Aunt Maria drew the pictures that decorate it, which show my cousins and my little Swedish grandma, and I think that’s cool.
- Some of my Grandma’s recipes are in here.
- The best cookbooks are the ones where church ladies all shared their very best, tried-and-true recipes, right?? And this is one of those.
- My Mom’s favorite recipes come from this cookbook.
These are my remarkable cousins from Minnesota, drawn by their mother, my talented Aunt Maria: Michael, Lisa, Hanns, Sarah, and Conrad. Read more about them in this post.
I always loved to look at these drawings when I was a little girl, and was sorely tempted to color them in. I never did, though, I’m not sure why. I still want to. 🙂
And here is my little Swedish grandma, working in her kitchen, with her cat nearby.
I own several of these church cookbooks in my collection, and it always tickles me to read through them. You know that these church ladies pulled out their favorite recipes to add to the collection. Most of them look very special and unique. Lots of Norwegians and Swedish ladies contributed to this one.
Look! A recipe for “Dansk Sirupskager”!
I enjoy reading through these old recipes, which were the very favorite tried and true recipes of these housewives at the time. Back when all housewives spent a lot of time in the kitchen perfecting their skills!
Where else but in these old church cookbooks can you find recipes for the foods from the “old country”?
The Recipe with the secret ingredient
Here’s the recipe, after all that, and I hope you enjoy these waffles as much as we do! We usually serve them with a smear of soft butter, a generous sprinkling of brown sugar, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a dollop or two of cream, but of course you can put whatever you like on them (even some Dansk Sirupskager, if you choose).
- 1 cup flour–unbleached or white whole wheat
- 3 tsps. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- seed mixture (optional) sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, crushed walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Mix dry ingredients together. Add melted butter, milk, eggs. Beat with electric mixer until batter is smooth. Do not overbeat. Pour on hot greased waffle iron, and (if desired) sprinkle seed mixture on top. Bake until golden brown. Serve with brown sugar and cream, or syrup, or whatever pleases you!
There it is! Waffle-night, anybody?
Pin it for later!
22 thoughts on “Secret Ingredient to make the Best Crispy (cornmeal) Waffles! (*whoops!*)”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I love that cookbook, too, for the same reasons. And your pictures are divine!
thanks so much, Moll, and thanks for the share today. You’ve got a houseful of sick kids and still are able to do a good deed. Thanks so much!
Sounds so yummy! If I had a waffle maker I’d be all over these. 🙂
Erin,
Thanks so much for stopping in. I think I bought my waffle iron at one of those pre-Christmas blowout sales for less than $5.00. We use it lots! Maybe you ought to get one, too. Best wishes!
Love your article, great photos and such a fun time for you and your family. To bad I don’t like waffles…lol Hugs Amy!
I’m sorry, Vicki, but you don’t like waffles???? Even with whipped cream and strawberries . . .? So what do you serve at your champagne brunches? Maybe you just haven’t tried the RIGHT waffles. These are them. THanks again for stopping by. HUGS back!
I always wonder why waffles aren’t a bigger deal in the UK – they are so delicious and with so many variations to try! When I’m in the US I tend to go a little crazy for pancakes with maple syrup – even though I make them myself quite a lot, there’s nothing like ordering a big, wobbly stack and having them placed right before you! Love the cookbook too 🙂
Well, you do have fish ‘n’ chips, though, Karen. Do they serve waffles or pancakes on the island of Cyprus? Thanks again for checking in with me!
Old cookbooks, aren’t they great. And in Your case you have one that includes family which makes it extra special. As a Chef I still have Cook Books that I purchased 50 years ago, but none with family. The waffles look very inviting, and the Queen said “Let them eat Waffles” alas one of my daughters has our waffle maker. If you have a scanner, you might want to scan the cookbook recipes onto your computer so that you can print copes for other family members. Your cover page could include information about the family etc. Thanks for sharing 🙂
That’s a great idea, Chef. I know that my mom searched online for this very cookbook years ago and found a couple of copies. You perhaps should invite your daughter over for waffles (hint, hint) and ask her to bring the iron?
Love that recipe and the crunchiness of a little cornmeal in the batter! 🙂
I lost my Trinity cookbook however. I wonder if it’s in my keepsake box, come to think of it.
I’ve always loved that picture of Grandma Kuehner at the sink.
Anne
Oh, Anne, find it! I wish I could find my cover!
Amy, I LOVE to make and eat waffles (more eating than making actually)! It’s a staple in our house and I’m always looking for a way to make them creative and tasty. I like the idea of adding brown sugar to top them with. But cornmeal…that’s different. But I also love homemade cornbread too. That’s something I got to make and enjoy as a kid using my mother’s recipe. Yum!
Aletha, I’m spoiled to these waffles: I don’t really like ones that don’t have cornmeal in them, actually. They just seem insipid. That cornmeal gives a hearty crunch! that is very satisfying! Best wishes!
What a wonderful blog, I love the pictures and the cookbook looks absolutely divine. I don’t have a waffle maker but honestly, having read this blog I am now sorely tempted !
Thanks Anita-Clare, I value your stopping by! Now go–and get that waffle maker!
I do enjoy a nice waffle, but I’ve never owned a waffle iron, so I’ve never made them myself. They remain in the province of Sunday brunches out, or the occasional hotel breakfast buffet. I will say, though, that cornmeal seems an odd ingredient. If I ever get myself an iron, I’ll have to give it a try.
Thanks for reading, Cheri!
Mmmmmmmmm they certainly sound delicious. Trouble is if I cooked them, I wuld have to eat them all as I live on my own!!
Oh, Lyn, that’s easy: invite somebody special over for brunch! These waffles freeze, well. Thanks so much for reading–blessings to you.
I know, I know- the secret ingredient is the waffle iron you need, since it’s not listed 🙂
Cheek. 😉