there are waffles, and then there are

waffles

i'm a little obsessive when it comes to waffles. first of all, i'm all about little-nook waffles, not belgian ones. smaller nooks mean more opportunities for crisp waffle exteriors. secondly, i don't think there's any room for discussion about which is the best waffle recipe ever. that prize undisputedly belongs to marion cunningham's raised waffles.

my only problem is that those waffles require planning ahead, something i'm not so good at.

so when i decide right then and there that i need to eat waffles, marion's classic waffles are a close second. over the years, i've made a few tweaks to the recipe. this morning, we ate them with brown sugar butter and blood oranges. so good!

marion cunningham's classic waffles

(about eight waffles)

2 cups all-purpose flour (though this morning i made them at pizzaiolo and all they had there was pizza flour, so i used that...and it worked fine!)

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs, room temperature, separated

1 1/2 cups milk, warmed slightly (though i often need an extra little splash to thin the batter)

1/3 cup vegetable or pure olive oil

1/3 cup butter, melted

Heat your waffle iron and make sure it's clean. I usually cook these waffles on the medium-high setting.

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until blended.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks.

Add the egg yolks, milk, oil and melted butter to the flour mixture and whisk together.

Fold in the egg whites.

If needed, add another splash of milk to thin the batter. Don't worry if there are lumps, but it shouldn't be too thick.

Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto the hot waffle iron and bake until they are golden and crisp. Serve hot.

brown sugar butter

1 stick butter, softened

finely grated zest of 1 orange

6 tablespoons brown sugar

pinch of salt

beat everything together until combined in a mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon.

serve with waffles, pancakes, french toast, toast, whatever you like! you can store leftovers (if there are any) in the fridge.