Grandpa's Waffles

When I was a kid my dad would make whole wheat waffles from scratch. I was told that I couldn't say the word "waffles" and would instead adorably request "awfuls". They would freeze them when I was teething to gnaw on and I have fond memories of waking up to the smell and being brought a crisp one to snack on in bed. My dad shared his recipe with me and I've been making them for my kiddos now too. Let the tradition continue!

INGREDIENTS:

3.5 cups of white whole wheat flour (400g)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp brown sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup butter
3 cups milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat waffle iron.
   
2. Sift flour into small bowl.
   
3. Resift flour with baking powder and salt into large mixing bowl.
   
4. Stir in brown sugar (some small clumps are fine)
5. Slice into Tbsps and melt butter in small bowl in microwave, let sit to cool a bit.
6. Separate egg whites and yolks (careful not to break the yolks)
   
7. Measure out milk and add yolks to milk, stir to mix a bit. 
   
8. Using a stand mixer beat egg whites till stiff peaks form.
9. While whites are beating, pour milk/yolks mix into flour and give a stir, then add melted butter and gently combine till there are no large dry patches. Some small clumps of flour are ok for now.
10. Once whites are stiff, gently plop them into large batter bowl
11. Fold them in gently with a spatula till well combined, but being careful to not completely deflate all the air you captured in the whites. 
12. Brush iron with shortening or spray with non-stick, then pour batter on and cook to preferred golden brown. (4 1/2 min for our iron)
    

Bliss Milk Bars

These granola bars are as easy as mixing up a batch of homemade cookies. The amount of honey makes them both slightly indulgent and slightly expensive, but it’s worth it! 

My sister was given this recipe when her second was born, and she shared it with me. They were a lifesaver when I had my first baby and I have been making them for friends and clients for years now. 

 

A quick, delicious, nutrient dense snack, with oats to promote milk production! You can't go wrong there!

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c. butter, softened (or coconut oil)
• 4 1/2 c. rolled oats (2/3 rolled and 1/3 instant is an option too)
• 1 c. honey (I love this one)
• 1 ½ c. oat flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups of add-ins (roughly equal proportions, except a bit less for the chia seeds): golden raisins, chocolate chips, Chia seeds, coconut flakes and blanched almonds (you can use whatever you like!)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Line a 9”×13” glass pan with parchment paper. 
3. In a medium saucepan melt butter and add honey stirring and cooking on low for till melted and combined, then add the vanilla. (Let cool for a couple minutes while you gather your dry ingredients, so it won't melt the chocolate chips immediately)
4. In a large mixing bowl combine oats, oat flour, baking soda and your fav add-ins.
   
5. Pour honey, butter, vanilla mixture into dry ingredients and mix till all moistened.
6. Pour mixture into parchment paper/glass dish and press firmly and evenly with a spatula to flatten.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-22 minutes until just golden brown on the edges.
8. When they come out of the oven they will have puffed up a bit, I like to use a spatula again and press them down, making them more dense for cooling.
9. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Even better chill in fridge before cutting. They will keep fine at room temp, but longer in fridge.

Variations

✔ Add ¼ c. cocoa powder to the dry ingredients; no chocolate chips needed.

✔ Use ½ c. natural peanut butter, almond butter or sunbutter in place of ½ c. of the butter (stay on the short side of baking time as nut butters can dry out the bars).

✔ Use a large cookie sheet and press the bars more thinly

FAQs

✔ How about dairy free? Coconut oil works fine in place of butter, especially in the nut butter versions.

✔ How long is the shelf life? Seriously, I found a bar in our diaper bag that had been there for months, and it was perhaps a bit lower on the quality scale, but no mold or other issues that would deem them inedible. Generally they are gone so quickly you don’t have to worry about shelf life!

✔ Can I use less honey? Honey is expensive and the “unhealthy” ingredient in this recipe. When you heat the honey, you can definitely cut it down by at least 1/3 cup and everything still holds together. I also had success substituting natural applesauce for up to 1/2 cup honey, but the resulting bars weren’t very sweet. The chocolate chips were a necessity.