lego my eggo, i want homemade waffles

I have been on the hunt for a waffle iron for some time. Because let's face it: frozen store-bought waffles don't cut it. And I don't want to have to fork over cash to go out every time I need a waffle fix. Well, the gods shined upon me on Saturday when the Davis Square Goodwill had a waffle iron in excellent shape. Naturally I snatched it up, cleaned it up, and made sure it worked. I couldn't wait to try it out the following morning. It worked and made delicious 4" square waffles, enough for leftovers to keep in the freezer.

The idea of waffle batter doesn't vary much from pancake batter; though it tends to have more fat (from oil or butter) because it helps the waffles crisp up. It seems that traditional waffles are made by beating the egg whites separately from the yolks and then folded into the batter; this is supposed to create a fluffier waffle. Though if you don't eat eggs, this doesn't really matter.

What follows is a recipe that I adapted from two different waffle recipes I have. Since I've only made these waffles once thus far, I haven't really played with the recipe--I took the two recipes and tweaked the amounts prior to creation, based on what I thought would work best.

waffle batter
2 c all purpose flour
2 eggs or 2 Tbs cornstarch*
1 3/4 c milk or soymilk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 Tbs turbinado or regular sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

* if using cornstarch, you may need to add an additional tablespoon of milk (or you can use water), depending on consistency.

1. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Stir until well combined.
2. Let the batter rest while you preheat the waffle iron.
3. Make waffles according to manufacturer's directions. Remember to lubricate the iron with oil before spooning in batter (every time!)
4. Serve immediately or freeze for quick breakfasts.

Of course, feel free to stir in fruit--fresh, dried or frozen (thawed and drained)--nuts, spices, herbs (for a savory waffle; decrease sugar to 1 Tbs). And you can incorporate other flours, like buckwheat and cornmeal, for part but not all of the flour. Really, I think the variations on waffles is infinite.

PS. My next foray into waffles will be trying out Chandra Moskowitz's ("Veganomicon") recipe for Chocolate Beer Waffles. Yum!