Whole Wheat Banana Waffles

Sometimes Luke comes home from working expecting to eat one of the meals that I had preplanned for the week only to find that I have let my imagination and hungry tummy get the best of me and I’ve ended up making something from left field just because I felt like it. The other night was one of those nights. I’m pretty sure Luke was expecting some of the pork chops that were marinating in the refrigerator, instead he got breakfast for dinner.

We have breakfast for dinner pretty much on a weekly basis. We like eggs. We like how easy breakfast is. We like how many possibilities breakfast for dinner affords us. Okay mostly I like all these things since I do about 95% of all the cooking that takes place in this house. Yes, Luke knows he is terribly spoiled.

So anyways, it is fairly normal for us to have breakfast for dinner but on that particular night I made it not because I had lived through a super long day or was in a hurry to get dinner on the table, but because that afternoon I had looked into  my kitchen and saw ripening bananas and was struck with a sudden need to make waffles…with bananas in them.

We’ve done lots of bananas on our waffles and lots of pancakes both with bananas in them and on them but we hadn’t had waffles with bananas in them. My mind started racing with the possibilities. Banana waffles with peanut butter slathered across the top of them. Banana waffles with maple syrup. Banana waffles with vanilla yogurt on top. Banana waffles with strawberry compote. Or blueberry compote. Or, and this is where things got out of hand and I started having European vacation flashbacks,whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Ooh ooh or better yet, sliced bananas, strawberries, whip cream, chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.

For the record that tiny plastic fork was quickly disposed of as we opted to be very polite and shove the waffle, toppings and all directly into our mouths.

Ahhh memories. Thank you Belgium and Germany for those perfect rectangles of deliciousness.

So Luke didn’t get the pork chops he expected but he did get banana waffles along with lots of toppings to choose from, oh and eggs and bacon. Of course there was a protein, Luke was eating with us after all! Now Maddy and Luke are working their way through the extra waffles I froze and lots of peanut butter.

Whole Wheat Banana Waffle Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons veg oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Mix dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon, in a medium bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, making sure to fully incorporate the banana into the mixture.

Mix dry ingredients into banana mixture, stirring just until incorporated.

Cook waffles according to your waffle makers instructions. Unless your waffle iron explicitly states otherwise I would suggest using a spray oil to give the iron a light coating to help the waffles release from the iron more easily. Waffles will be a darker brown color than plain waffles due to the banana.