These perfect waffles are crisp on the outside and soft & airy on the inside, making them the ideal start to a lazy Sunday morning.

This waffle recipe is one of the first ones I ever copied down from my mother in law.  And by copied, I mean asked her to please slow down so I could try capture quantities on paper as to what she was doing.

Measurements? Nonsense, she says.

Agnese is 83, widowed two years ago and originally from a small town outside of Venice.  When she and her sister boarded a boat as barely young adults to come to America, they came in search of better opportunities.  She landed in Washington, DC.  Her days were spent cooking & ironing for American high society such as the Post family, former Ambassador Buchanan and she even cooked dinner for US President Richard Nixon.

She has so many interesting stories of her journey.  I can't imagine going to a country at the age of 19, where I didn't speak the language to just cook and clean and send money back home.  It is certainly something most North American millennials will never experience.

Today her world is her children, her grandchildren and her kitchen; the order of preference which sometimes changes.  The scope of what she cooks has narrowed over the years, but these waffles have remained in solid rotation.  She makes them in batches and freezes them in ice cream pails, which still makes me smile.

I grew up with ice cream pails in the freezer.  Now,  as a little family of three,  I can honestly say I have never purchased a "pail" of ice cream.  I think her actual pail is from the 80's and still every week she religiously makes a batch of waffles - mostly for weekend visitors or the grandkids after school snack.

I have adjusted this waffle recipe several times since I first captured it 17 years ago.   It is definitely worth the extra step of whipping the egg whites.  The waffles freeze brilliantly and hold up really well to all the traditional toppings of whipped cream and syrup.  I always leave them in just a little longer than my waffle iron tells me because I like the crisp snap you get from cutting into that first bite with a fork...kind of like tapping a creme brule.

If you want to try a waffle recipe without an iron, check out my Skillet Waffle recipe for something a little different.

I hope I get to share more than just perfect waffles from Agnese over the years to come, but for now these waffles are a great place to start.

Enjoy!

Perfect Waffles

Author: Food Well Said

These perfect waffles are crisp on the outside and soft & airy on the inside, making them the ideal start to a lazy Sunday morning.

Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
• Optional toppings: whipped cream, maple syrup, berries, yoghurt and granola.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, vanilla and melted butter. Set aside.
3. In a third bowl, beat the egg whites until you see soft peaks.
4. Add the egg yolks mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Gradually fold in the egg whites with a spatula until well combined.
5. Preheat the waffle maker, and measure out 1/4-1/3 cup of batter per waffle (depending on the size of your waffle maker). Cook according to the instructions on your waffle maker.
6. Optional toppings include: whipped cream, maple syrup, berries, yoghurt and granola.

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