Homemade Waffles

When my boyfriend and I moved into our first apartment together a couple of years ago, we got a few house-warming gifts. Amy brought us a case of her father's delicious homemade wine, which we slowly worked our way through during our first year there. Then when Alina came to visit, she brought us a waffle maker. Of course, I had to put it to use as soon as possible, so over the course of a few weeks, I experimented with lots of different recipes before finding one that makes perfect waffles every single time. They're light and crispy on the outside, yet fluffy and hearty inside. They can be topped with anything your belly desires but I prefer them most with Nutella or with strawberry jam, since we rarely have maple syrup in the house. And if you don't happen to have the luxury of owning a waffle maker, this recipe also makes great pancakes!

Waffles

Ingredients:

- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable, etc; anything goes, really!)
- 2 egg whites

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a larger bowl using a whisk, beat the egg yolks enough to break them up, then add the water and oil. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. In yet another bowl, use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer (or whisk by hand if you have neither) to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter. At this point, you can either refrigerate the batter until you're ready to use it (it should last for about a day covered in the refrigerator), or immediately make waffles according to your waffle iron's instructions.

Enjoy!