Banana Bread Waffles

It’s confession time, I don’t really like things with banana in them. Without the banana texture, the flavor by itself tastes foreign. But that changed with these Banana Bread Waffles!

Banana Story Time

Have you ever had a banana-flavored candy? Or used Banana extract? It smells similar to banana, but it never tastes quite like it. There’s always something chemical about the flavor. That’s how I taste whenever someone offers me “banana” flavored anything. You don’t quite trust it. The problem is that with bananas, flavor and texture are very strongly tied together- you don’t really have one without the other to get true banana experience.

So banana Ice Cream, banana bread, or banana pudding just dont taste like bananas to me. It’s weird, I know. I know!

But here’s the irony, Robert, my father in law, loves, bananas in anything! So go figure. This year, I cooked Father’s day dinner for the family, and, of course, bananas were on the menu.

To prepare, I made this batch of Banana Bread waffles for brunch last saturday. To be honest, I was expecting to hate them, but the trick is how you approach the banana. My answer: pair it with complementary flavors that also have lots of textures.

• Shredded Coconut
• Chocolate chips
• Pecans

That changed the game. Because where I lost the banana texture, coconuts and pecans replaced it in the waffles. You still got that crunch, and aroma of toasted coconut along with the vanilla caramel notes in the banana.

Chocolate chips in the banana waffles worked amazingly well too, the dark rich chocolate undertones lifted the banana, and with shredded coconut, made it almost like a banana macaroon.

How to make Banana Bread Waffles

For The Banana Bread Batter

1. Combine in a bowl: eggs, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and milk and olive oil. Combining all ingredients until an even mixture forms. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine oats, almond flour, and Baking Powder
3. Mix dry and wet ingredients and whisk together to form an even mixture. Wait 3-4 minutes for the oats to absorb moisture and thicken the batter. 
4. Add 1/2 cup of the batter to the hot waffle iron
5. Add fillings (optional)
6. Add another 1/2 cup of batter and close the lid. 
7. Cook for 5 minutes. 
8. Cool: Remove with a fork and set on a cooling rack to crisp up. 
9. I recommend serving with powdered sugar and butter, or cardamom honey, or vanilla whipped cream. 

How to Make Cardamom Infused Honey

To contrast the banana flavor, I made this Cardamom infused honey. It’s rich and aromatic flavor plays really well with banana and coconut, taking the waffles in an Indian inspired direction.

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You’ll need:

• 5 or 6 cracked cardamom pods
• 1 cup honey
• Kosher Salt, Optional

Toast the cardamom pods until they become fragrant, they will fill your kitchen with cardamom flavor. Add honey and stir. Honey will start to bubble and rise. When that happens, turn it off and cover, allowing the flavors to infuse for at least 30 minutes.

Storage

I’ve found that you can store these very well in a zip lock bag with parchment paper between the layers. They’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reuse them, thaw overnight in the fridge.

Heat the oven to 350 and place the cold waffles on a cooling rack and a sheet pan. Heat for 5 minutes and they will come out warm and crispy.

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Equipment we used

Cooling Racks

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Waffle Iron

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Sauce Pan, 3 1/2-quart

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OXO Good Grips Medium Silicone Spatula

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For Unusual flavor combinations, try this Hibiscus Tea Creme Brulee or this savory Pumpkin Gazpacho Shots