So on Memorial Day we visited my in-laws for that classic Memorial Day tradition of a BBQ (and to celebrate my FIL’s birthday). While there, we talked about my Waffle Dad adventures, and we ended up inviting E’s immediate family down for a waffle brunch. Which…umm, yikes! Okay, not only do I now have to prepare waffles for six adults, but everyone asked for savory waffles instead of sweet waffles. Which…umm, I had never really done.
Thankfully, the brunch was planned for three or so weeks away, so I had some time to practice. Plenty of time, right? Well, off to the internet I went in search of a good savory waffle recipe.
The Selection Process
We knew (based on polling the family over smoked ribs) that we wanted something cheddar’y on the day off, and I had been thinking about making some cornmeal based waffles. Google offered me tons of pretty similar-looking recipes, overall, and finally I settled on one from Kylee Cooks.
The recipe itself seemed straightforward enough, I understood the rationale behind the ingredient ratio pretty well, I thought, and I did like the idea of having a good cheddar cornbread waffle recipe that would go great with chili in the wintertime.
However…I overlooked one important detail: The fat content. This recipe calls for two cups of buttermilk (not a big deal), but then also needs six tablespoons of butter. That’s 3/4 of a stick of butter. Combine those two, and it already seems a bit on the heavy side in terms of fat content when compared to most of the other waffle recipes I’ve seen out there. But fine – I rationalized it by saying the cornmeal would need a somewhat higher fat content to remain most, right? But then there’s also the two cups of cheddar cheese that go into the batter to consider. And I hadn’t. But more on this consequence in a moment.
Scrambled Eggs as a Topping
The original waffle recipe called for chili, which probably would have been great. But I didn’t feel like making a fresh batch of chili, and I also didn’t feel like digging through the freezer to defrost some of the chili we made over the winter.
So out of laziness I said, why not make some scrambled eggs to put on top? And honestly, that was an inspired choice. First, because scrambled eggs are super easy to cook. Second, because we had all the ingredients (you may notice laziness is a running theme here). And third, because scrambled eggs go really great with both cheddar cheese and anything corn-based. Can’t miss, right?
So while making the waffles, I ended up throwing an egg scramble together as well, which was a really useful way of using the left-over shredded cheddar we had.
The Results
So when the batter came out of the waffles, there was the first hint of concern. Note how the grease is pooling in the iron? While I don’t have a ton of experience making waffles (yet), that did not bode well.
The flavor was okay, though I was surprised by how little of the cornmeal came through in the final flavor profile. I suspect it got overpowered by the all-purpose flour that’s also part of the mix. But the real issue we ran into was the fact that they felt a bit heavy and greasy. Definitely not suitable for my first waffle party, and I’ll need to go back and try something different.
Cheddar Cornbread Waffles with Scrambled Eggs
3 - 4
servings30
minutes20
minutesThe waffle recipe itself is adapted (in language only) from Kylee Cooks' Cheddar Cornbread Waffles from Scratch recipe. The scrambled egg recipe is just one that I threw together myself.
Though the waffles tasted fine, I found that they were a little bit heavy for my taste - I think I'll experiment in the future with some reduced fat content in the hopes that they come out lighter.
The scrambled egg topping I threw together? That came out great, and I will definitely use the ratios again in the future.
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Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Wet Ingredients
2 cups buttermilk
6 Tbs unsalted butter
2 large eggs
- Toppings (Scrambled Eggs)
4 large eggs
2 tbsp 1% milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
shredded cheddar as a topping
Directions
- The Cheddar Cornbread Waffles
- First, get your ingredients together. I find I make fewer mistakes if I lay everything out (the whole "mise en place" thing).
- Melt the butter. I find that this takes about 30ish seconds in my microwave, though your results may vary.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk them all together until they're evenly distributed.
- In a smaller bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs. Whisk them together.
- Combine the buttermilk + egg mixture with the dry ingredients. Fold them together until just combined - your goal is make the batter a bit shaggy, so do not mix until smooth.
- Add in the melted butter and the cheddar cheese, and fold them into the batter. Again, don't overmix - keep the batter shaggy.
- Preheat the waffle iron. I did mine on "Belgian" and the "7" setting. While the waffle iron is heating, it's a good time to start on the scrambled eggs.
- When the waffle iron is pre-heated, spray it with a cooking spray and add the batter. The batter will be quite thick, and it will puff a lot so be prepared. I found that about half a cup of batter per waffle "fit" pretty well.
- When the waffle iron is done, pull the waffles, add your topping, and enjoy! If you need to keep a batch of waffles warm while more cook, put them in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees.
- The Scrambled Egg Topping
- Melt the butter. In my microwave, a full stick of butter takes about 30ish seconds or so, give or take.
- Add the eggs, milk, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add a bit of pepper to taste here as well.
- Heat up a skillet or medium-sized pan to a medium-low temperature. On my electric stove, that's a 3 - 4. Add some cooking spray.
- Whisk the eggs until the mixture is well-mixed. It should be the same color (no separation between whites and yolks), be a consistent texture, and it should be just a little bit foamy.
- Add the eggs to the skillet. I added more fresh ground pepper here as well.
- Using a silicone spatula, continuously push the eggs from one side of the pan to the other. You should be folding, pushing, and pulling - not chopping or scraping. This is where the "scramble" happens.
Throughout this process, the eggs should be in constant motion. The firmer bits will start to collect in the center of the pan, and that's fine. As they start to pile up, gently move them around to keep them in contact with the hot surface of the pan. - When the eggs are done, they should be firm but still moist. Be careful not to overcook them - there should be no liquid left, but they should not be rubbery in texture. Add salt, pepper, or toppings to taste, and enjoy!
Equipment
Hercule (All-Clad Belgian Waffle Maker)
Silicone Spatula
Notes
- The Scrambled Egg recipe makes enough for two servings, while the Waffle Recipe makes 3 - 4 servings.
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