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The Ultimate Blueberry Cornmeal Waffles

One of the funny things about being a recipe developer is that my friends are always asking me to recreate dishes from restaurants. Hardly a week goes by where someone doesn’t send me a picture of something they enjoyed, asking me to figure out how to recreate it. The latest entry in my long list of requests was (surprise) a cornmeal waffle, and I was intrigued enough to spend all week experimenting with my own recipe. The results blew me away.

It turns out, adding cornmeal to waffles is the biggest secret in the waffle-making world. Far from being just cornbread in the shape of a waffle, this recipe (which uses half cornmeal and half whole wheat flour) results in what I might call the perfect waffle; crispy and sweet with just the right flavors and textures. Plus, the ingredient list is dead-simple and the process is as foolproof as it can get. Add some blueberries into the batter and some maple cashew cream over top and breakfast just doesn’t get much better.

corn-waffles

Makes 4-5 waffles

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup fine-grain cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour whole wheat
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup blueberries
  • Cashew cream (see below)

corn-waffles-close

Step One

As usual in my cooking, we’ll use a flax “egg” to hold these waffles together. To make, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2 tablespoons of water and set aside until the flax has absorbed the water and turned into a gel (about 5 minutes).

Step Two

Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: fine-grain cornmeal, whole wheat flour, salt, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: non-dairy milk, maple syrup, softened/melted coconut oil, and a teaspoon of vanilla.

Step Three

Once the flax egg is gellin’, add it into the wet ingredients and stir together. Then, carefully pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together – being careful not to over mix. At the last minute, add in a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries. Finally, cook the batter according to your waffle iron’s instructions.

Optional Cashew Cream

One of my favorite ways to finish off these waffles is with a drizzle of cashew cream. To make, soak 1/2 cup of raw cashews for at least an hour. Drain the soaking water and then blend with a drizzle of maple syrup, a pinch of salt, and just enough fresh water to form a smooth cream-like consistency.

corn-waffles-top

corn-waffle-iron

21 Comments

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    • Hi Vienna, I’ve only used a “normal” waffle maker so I really couldn’t comment on the Belgian style… I’m sure these would work in whatever type you’d like 🙂

    • Typically that works okay. It obviously won’t be the same but I’ve had decent results using applesauce in place of oil with other recipes.

  1. I looove waffles, and I looove blueberries, so this is right up my alley! I get a bit confused about cornmeal/cornflour/cornstarch terminology, as it seems that US and UK usage differ a bit. Is the cornmeal here super fine and powdery, or is it more coarse, like what you would use to make polenta?

    • Oh no, definitely not corn starch (!) which is a thickening agent – the starch processed from corn. Cornmeal is just ground corn and that’s what you want to use. Actually, what I bought recently is corn flour (which is the same as cornmeal, just ground more finely and that’s better in this recipe). I assume the coarse grind of cornmeal would work as well, but that coarseness might come through… I hope that didn’t confuse you even more 🙂

  2. Hi Andrew! Another fan-freaking-tastic post/recipe. I can’t wait to try these this weekend. Question for you: any chance you will be doing an updated archive cookbook? I sure hope so. 🙂

    • Thanks Darin! 🙂 Ah, I don’t have any plans right now but I’d like to do an updated version of the archive cookbook at some point.

      • Ok cool. I guessed as much, but am ever the hopeful. Whenever the day comes I’ll be doing some backflips down the Atlanta Highway. I have 100+ vegan cookbooks and have tons of sites bookmarked. But your work is my favorite, always turning to it. So simple, yet so delicious. One million thanks for it! 🙂

  3. Hi Andrew,

    Can I replace the whole wheat flour with gluten free flour??! Please say yes! My boys will be over the moon!

    Thanks,

    Chansa

    • Ah, I really don’t know… I haven’t tried it myself and I don’t have a ton of experience with gluten-free cooking. I think there’s a good chance it could work though – give it a shot! 🙂

  4. I am going to have to stop by Sprouts this weekend and pick up a bit of flaxseed from the bulk bins, I am not sure if they have ground flaxseed in the bins, do you think grinding whole flaxseed with a mortar and pestle would work? Or do you have a better method? I’m not a vegan so I don’t usually substitute egg but I’m looking forward to trying it out. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Ah, I usually buy them already ground. Pretty sure they don’t sell that in bulk, but you can buy a small bag fairly reasonably. If you have to buy whole seeds, a coffee grinder or even powerful blender like a Vitamix can work well.

  5. Do you think these would freeze well to be toasted another day? I would love to make some of these ahead of time for a quick on the go breakfast option.

  6. These were wonderful! I made a half recipe but then mistakenly used a full flax egg—nothing untoward happened 🙂
    We didn’t have whole wheat flour so used whole spelt but otherwise followed. The flavour of the local freshly-milled blue corn flour really shone. Can’t wait to make again next weekend!!

    • Very cool! I’m so glad you liked them! Blue cornmeal sounds pretty epic. And yes, flax eggs are quite flexible… if you use too much, the only side effect is that you get some extra omega-3’s 🙂

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