I can honestly say that this is a recipe without which I wouldn’t be here. In my family, these waffles represent a lot more than just breakfast. They’re almost ritualistic: a true part of Klonowski lore. The recipe comes from a cookbook that was given to my parents as a wedding present in 1980. It quickly became their favorite recipe in the book, and ended up being a family staple for a very long time.

When I was little kid, my parents would make them for my brother and I two or three times a week. Sometimes they’d even let me help measure the ingredients, although using the electric mixer always fell to the older, more responsible sibling (even though I tower over my family, I’m still the baby by age). Nowadays when I’m home over breaks, it’s become more of a rare treat, but my spoiled upbringing means I’ll always have a soft spot deep in my heart for these waffles.

When I moved off-campus, the very first thing I bought for my house was a waffle iron at Target. It set me back only $19.99, which is well worth the heart-warming nostalgia and delicious waffle-y goodness it has afforded during its tenure. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. Not only will it blow your other weekend brunch options out of the water, but you can occasionally use it for other meals as well. In soul food recipes, savory waffles are often topped with chicken and served with vegetables as a dinner (I’ve delved into this a few times – perhaps it will make the column in the future).

The best feature of waffles is that they are very versatile. If you have a creative mind, there’s no limit to their customizability. I very much encourage you to use this recipe as a base and add in anything you have lying around. My favorite additions are chocolate chips, a bit of yogurt, and fruit (fresh or frozen) but feel free to go wild with your own signature waffle style. Bonus points for spreading Nutella and sprinkling powdered sugar on them after they’re done. I’d be excited to hear how they turn out. As always, Bon Appétit!

Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Directions

• Whisk flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl until combined.
• Separate eggs, putting white and yolk into separate medium bowls.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until white and fluffy.
• To the egg yolk bowl, add milk and oil. Mix well.
• Dump the egg yolk bowl into the flour bowl and mix well with the electric mixer. Dump in the egg whites and beat only until they are just incorporated so that the batter stays fluffy.
• If necessary, spray waffle iron with oil. Pour batter into iron and cook waffles. Cooking times will vary based on the iron you have (about 5 min per waffle).

serves 7-8