Saturday, February 23, 2013

Brown Sugar and Sour Cream Waffles

I have to admit that Bob and I were never big breakfast eaters. Sometimes we'd go out for breakfast on a weekend, but at that point we were probably up for a couple hours. And someone else was doing the work. Otherwise, breakfast was a hit-or-miss affair. Coffee for sure. Then maybe toast or something simple. Maybe leftovers. Or cereal.

Nothing very complicated. And sometimes nothing at all.

But since he's come home from the hospital, we've had breakfast every day. Since he still can't eat a lot at a time, it's important for him to eat more often. Breakfast, lunch, dinner ... and snacks. And sometimes a late-night snack.

But yawn ... I'm not all that perky in the morning. We've had French toast a few mornings, but anything more complicated than that needs to wait for lunch. I'm not going to be making crepes or flambeing things until I've stopped yawning and blinking and trying to make sense of the world.

But ... but ... I'm getting tired of scrambled eggs.

So I pulled out the waffle maker. After breakfast. After I was awake and functional. Because waffles can be made and reheated. Heck, they can even be frozen. I figured these would be ideal for the days when I wanted something really really easy.

And let's be honest. Whipping up this batter is also easy. Particularly if you use self-rising flour.

Brown Sugar and Sour Cream Waffles

1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) self-rising flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Measure the flour into a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until they're bubbly and look a little lighter. Add the milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla. (Measuring tip: Use a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. First measure the cup of milk, then add the oil. Then add the sour cream. It will sink into the liquid and the liquid level will rise in the cup. No need to dirty more than one measuring cup!)

Beat the mixture until it's well combined, then add this to the flour in the other bowl. (Note: baking wisdom tells you to add the wet to the dry and that's what I did. If you want to throw caution to the wind and add the dry to the wet, I'm not going to stop you.) Mix until everything is incorporated. It's fine if you have a few little lumps, but you don't want big blobs of dry flour in the middle of your waffles.

Cook in your waffle maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Serve immediately or let them cool before storing or freezing. You can reheat in a toaster or microwave, whichever you prefer.
Yum