Cornmeal & Ricotta Waffles

By Foodiewife

I made these waffles a year ago, and never shared them on my food blog. I had leftover ricotta and I always have corn meal in my pantry. I decided to make these, again, only cutting the ingredients in half so I would yield 8 waffles, instead of the dozen or so that I go before (there are only three of us at home). The ricotta and whipped egg whites gives these waffles a moist and very tender texture, while the cornmeal adds a subtle crunch to each bite. I haven't bought waffle mix in years, since homemade taste a whole lot better and take about 10 minutes more to make, from scratch. I serve these with candied bacon (search for that recipe card on my blog). To see step-by-step photos, please click on the source link which will take you to my blog, "A Feast for the Eyes".

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups ricotta cheese (12-ounces)
• 1 cups milk
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 stick (4-ounces) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for serving
• Pure maple syrup, for serving
• Crisp bacon strips, for serving

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 25mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat an 8-inch square waffle iron and preheat the oven to 200°F.

In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta with the milk, egg yolks, vanilla (if using) and sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture until combined. Stir in the melted butter.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the waffle batter until no streaks remain.

Coat the waffle iron with vegetable-oil spray and spoon about 1 1/2 cups of the batter onto the waffle iron. Close and cook until the waffles are golden and crisp.

Serve the waffles immediately or transfer them to a rack in the oven to keep warm.

Serve the cornmeal waffles with melted butter, maple syrup and crispy bacon.