Pecan Waffles

These are traditional American-style waffles, about 1/2-inch thick. If you’ve never made waffles before, see the step-by-step explanations in the plain waffle recipe.  To make waffles, you need to specific kitchen appliances, a high-speed mixer and a waffle iron.

  • Standing mix master or hand mixer with high or egg-white speed (you have to hold it for 9 minutes so ask for a stand mixer as a gift in the future)
  • Waffle iron

Ingredients

  • Pam or other spray vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs, separated (yolks in one cup, whites in another)
  • 1-1/2 cups white or unbleached flour (don’t use whole wheat, it weighs down the egg whites)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder, which comes in a can (you can NOT substitute baking soda, which comes in a box)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup corn oil, canola oil, or other light vegetable oil
  • 1/2-1 cup chopped pecans

Separate the eggs, keeping the whites in one clean and dry bowl or coffee cup and the yolks in another.  Beat the egg whites in a clean, dry mixing bowl on high for 9 minutes.  In the first 3 minutes, the egg whites will froth up, in the second 3 minutes the egg whites will begin to take a firmer shape, in the final 3 minutes the egg whites will form stiff peaks.

Set the bowl of stiff egg whites to one side and change mix master beaters from wire egg white beaters (if you have that kind of attachment) to regular mixer beaters.

Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) into a large bowl.  Add the oil.  Use a fork to break up the egg yolks and beat them slightly with the fork.  Add some of the milk to the egg yolks and stir with the fork.  Pour the milky eggs into the flour and oil, then add the rest of the milk.  Beat this mixture until smooth.  Add the pecan chips and beat for 1 more minute.  Remove the bowl from the mix master and gently fold the stiff egg whites into the pecan batter with a wooden spoon or spatula.  DO NOT MIX the batter and egg whites with beaters because even 15 seconds of beating will thin the egg whites too much.  Fold the stiff egg whites into the batter until the pieces of stiff egg whites are the size of green peas.

You will have 3 cups of batter.  A traditional “square” waffle iron has one large square composed of 4 smaller squares in each corner.  1 cup of batter will completely fill the large outer square, resulting in 4 individual waffles.  3 cups of batter results in 12 individual waffle square.  A typical serving is 2 of the individual waffles.

Heat the waffle iron to 400 degrees° F or use the “waffle” heat setting if your iron has one.  Heat for 2 minutes with iron closed.  Open the waffle iron and spray both top and bottom grill plates liberally with Pam cooking spray.  Pour one cup of batter into the waffle iron, close and bake (no peeking!) for 6 minutes.  Remove the waffle to a warm oven or a plate.  Spray both top and bottom plates again and cook the second cup of waffle batter for 6 minutes.  Remove and repeat the greasing and cooking for 6 minutes with the final cup of batter.

Freeze leftovers in a Ziploc bag and reheat in toaster or microwave.