banana bread wafflesMy fiance is a banana fanatic. I don't know how it happens, but every time we bring home a bunch of even six or eight, most of them disappear within three days (max)! Still, there's the off chance (usually if I buy extra) that a couple end up hanging around until they're very, very ripe. So ripe that he's not into the poor nanners in their raw form anymore. What then?

Baking with them, of course! Banana bread's a great way to use over-ripe bananas, but who says you can't bake it up in a different form? Like banana bread waffles ... with cinnamon butter. So delish they're sure to disappear faster than bananas do around here!

More from The Stir: Perfectly Sweet Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:

Waffles from FromEveryDaytoGourmet.com

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 full swipes of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoons double-acting baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cinnamon Butter from TLC Cooking

  • 1/2 cup unsalted whipped butter
  • 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. grated orange peel
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions for the waffles:

  1. Preheat a waffle iron. If you want to hold the finished waffles until serving time, preheat an oven to 200°F.
  2. Melt the butter; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Using a rubber spatula (or a handheld electric mixer), mix together well. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. The batter will be thick and a tad lumpy but don’t try to smooth it out; just mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
  4. In another bowl, beat together the milk, yogurt/sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the banana mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the melted butter.
  5. Whether or not your iron’s grids are well seasoned or made of a nonstick material, it's best to lightly butter or spray the grids because this batter is quite sticky. Brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick.
  6. Using your waffle maker’s instructions, add the correct amount of batter onto the hot iron (I used 1/2 cup per waffle). Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close the lid and bake until golden. Serve immediately or keep the waffles, in a single layer, on a rack in the preheated oven while you make the rest.

Directions for the butter:

  1. Combine butter, powdered sugar, orange peel, cinnamon, and vanilla in small bowl; mix well.
  2. Spoon equal amounts butter mixture onto each waffle. Feel free to add some walnuts, cut up banana slices, and syrup to boot!

Hungry? Need dinner ideas? Just love anything and everything food and recipes? Then you'll totally want to follow us on Pinterest! Our virtual pin boards on Kid Friendly Recipes and Sweet Treats are pure eye candy. Yum! 

 

Image via joyosity/Flickr