Make Brinner (Breakfast for Dinner) Better with Cornbread-Jalapeño Waffles

Cornbread Waffles > Cornbread.

I’ve become unnaturally fond of the phrase, “It’s been years since… (insert thing here)” recently. Why? Because, often, it has been years since I’ve done relatively mundane things that I do enjoy. It reminds me to enjoy the good things when they inevitably do come back around, and to remind me to break up the patterns of my days. Case in point: I haven’t done a lazy river in years, or kayaked, or sang karaoke in a public location. These aren’t intentional decisions— I love doing all of these things. It’s more that it’s easy for time to slip by without my noticing, and I’d like to remember to do these things with my days.

What’s a food I haven’t eaten in years? Waffles. This week’s upcoming crepe class has me thinking about fancy-ish breakfast for dinner options. Although I generally find “breakfast for dinner” to be a tacky sort of guilty pleasure, I think we’re all in need of a little more fun in our lives these days. I don’t indulge in sweet breakfast options much anymore at brunch (pastries are another story), and would generally much prefer eggs or another savory item to get me started. There’s no reason, however, to not enjoy waffles far into the evening.

This waffle would be an excellent accompaniment to, well, anything that would go with cornbread. Sausages and peppers, chili, an herb gravy, some sautéed greens, or even an egg would suffice. You can even simply take a prepared cornbread mix and add it to your waffle iron, but a little zhuzhing may take your waffles to the next level.

I used the King Arthur Flour recipe for cornbread, with some modifications. I added pork fat instead of oil or butter, and added a handful (roughly 1/2 cup) of shredded cheese and a sliced jalapeño for some extra flair.

Jalapeno Cornbread Waffles

Makes 4 Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups (206g) all purpose flour

• 1 cup (156g) yellow cornmeal 

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste

• 1 1/4 cups (283g) milk

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup (113g) fat of choice (melted if using butter or animal fat)

• Approximately 1/2 cup shredded cheese

• 1 jalapeño, sliced thinly or diced

Procedure:

1. Preheat your waffle iron.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix the wet ingredients together (including the cheese and jalapeño). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. Grease your waffle iron using cooking spray if necessary. Fill the waffle iron about 70 percent of the way with batter, then close the lid and cook according to your waffle iron instructions.

4. Eat with any of the following accompaniments:

   • An egg

   • Sautéed greens

   • Chili

   • Pulled pork

   • Herbed gravy

   • Sausages and peppers

Want more breakfast for dinner action? Join our crepe class on Sunday, April 11th from 5-6:30 pm. I’d love to share secrets with you, including how to make crepes without a recipe, how to make homemade ricotta, and more!