A Southern Grace: a beany breakfast

January 5, 2010

a beany breakfast

Yum

Yes, you read correctly. I put beans in my waffles.

(Disclaimer: Although it appears that way, the flecks have not been added using Photoshop.)

If you're sharp like a scimitar, you already guessed that I'm talking about vanilla beans. Justin, a stellar feller from Marx Foods, arranged for the wholesale company to send me a sample of its vanilla beans. I promptly got two varieties--Madagascar and Tahitian.

I'd been hanging onto the beans but never forgetting about them, waiting for the perfect place to try them out. When we decided to have waffles on the first morning of 2010, it occurred to me that they'd be an ideal place for some robust vanilla flavor.

I was right. The waffle batter, while good, really benefited from the boost of vanilla bean. (I used the Madagascar variety, simply because the name lists bourbon in parentheses. Was that wrong?) I love the fleckage, too--so picturesque and attractive. Thanks, Justin--now that I've had a taste, I can't wait to try the beans in other recipes!


For the record, I slathered one half of my waffle with peanut butter and maple syrup while the other half received a dousing of homemade strawberry preserves. Yep, I guess I essentially greeted the new year with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich smothered in maple syrup. 'Twas a good start indeed.

Wanilla Vaffles
(makes 4 vaffles)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
2 vanilla beans

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and fat. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Whisk in the vanilla bean seeds until evenly distributed.
Pour batter onto your preheated, greased waffle iron and bake according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately with plenty of preserves, syrup, butter, and whatever else might float your boat, flip your ship, or crack your kayak.

72 comments:

Leslie said...

now are you a closet drunk????
I kid I kid..Yummy waffles

Jeanette said...

They look so tasty.

Lucie said...

I love the name you gave them! When I was younger, my dad always said that he was going to "shake a tower" to take a shower--I'm sure these wanilla vaffles are something he'd enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I can see those vanilla bean flakes in the waffles - yum! I would love to have those for my breakfast with my very vanilla coffee I'm drinking right now!

kat said...

nice!, i've heard of putting vanilla in pancake batter so why not waffles

vanillasugarblog said...

nice! obviously I love vanilla, hello.
I love a good crispy waffle anytime of the day with warm maple syrup. oooo!

George Gaston said...

Grace, great play on the name for this recipe! And I admit, I thought you were putting "baked beans" on your waffles... much like the British, Beans on Toast.

There is nothing like fresh vanilla beans ~ they add a real delicious flavor to whatever one is cooking. Great way to jazz up ones breakfast. Many thanks.

lisa is cooking said...

That sounds like a great start to the new year! The vanilla flecks look delicious.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

What delicious, indulgent waffles! Don't forget to make vanilla sugar with your used bean pods!

NOBLE PIG said...

oH LORDY THESE SOUND AWESOME. i HAVE NOT THOUGHT OF THE BEAN IN THERE...THANK YOU!!

foodhoe said...

I thought this would be refritos or something, but what a way to begin the new year. Of course you would think of PBJ and maple syrup - sounds fantastic.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Mmmhhh, yummy waffles!

Cheers,

Rosa

Kate at Serendipity said...

PB&J waffles. Who else would think of that? Great idea!

I love vanilla beans--I don't keep the liquid stuff anymore. I use beans and when I've scraped the seeds out I put the bean in a jar of sugar to flavor it.

I never get tired of vanilla!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I've got some vanilla beans that I was sent,too and I've been hording them. :)
~ingrid

Donna-FFW said...

Vanilla Beans .. one of those food items I love to have around, they are so pricey though, like saffron. What a fantastic way to use them, the waffles sound incredibly delicious and with a hit of cinnamon too, simply perfect!

Pam said...

I was thinking you were crazy for a second Grace. I love adding vanilla and cinnamon to my pancake and waffle batter. YUM!

Hungry Dog said...

Peanut butter and jelly and vanilla waffles. Yes please! Why is no one sending me fabulous samples? Guess I'll have to live vicariously through you... :)

Albany Jane said...

I could definitely see vanilla beans and waffles working well. Actually, now you're making me think of how soft red beans would be in pancakes. Hmm... Maybe!

Sharon said...

Nothing like ringing in the new years with a PBJ waffle sammy. Brilliant yet again!

Melanie said...

Ok, I am NOT a scimitar because I was questioning your sanity there for a minute...but I can completely understand the vanilla bean addition. Delicious and so classy.

oneordinaryday said...

Haha! I'm such a dork. I read the title and wondered what kind of bean you could puree and put into waffle batter!!! :P

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I love fresh vanilla in dishes. I have to ask do you use your waffle iron much? I was just talking to my husband about them the other day. He loves waffles, but neither of us have tried fresh waffles, just the supermarket kind, toasted. Are the fresh ones really good?

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Haha - you really had me going there with the title of this blog post.

:)
ButterYum

LilSis said...

Yum!! I shouldn't read your posts when I'm hungry...I could gobble one of these down right now. Instead, I had 5 dry roasted almonds! woohoo!

Faith said...

Sounds like a fantastic first meal of the New Year to me! I love how the beans give such a richer vanilla flavor than extract...plus the flecks are so pretty!

Juliana said...

Happy New Year Grace...you got me in this one, I immediately went to your ingredients and for my relief did not see beans like pinto bean, navy bean...but vanilla bean...it must taste delicious as I like vanilla taste :-)

Mimi said...

Fooled me! I do have a recipe for pinto bean cake, so I assumed ...
BTW just add the bourbon to my coffee.
Mimi

Unknown said...

Lucky you to get a sample of vanilla beans. They are so expensive here.

Lynn said...

Vanilla beans, yum! Sooo good! I agree with a couple other commenters, don't forget to save the bean and poke it into a little container of sugar to get yourself some wonderful vanilla sugar. :)

♥peachkins♥ said...

WOW! I'm sure the waffles came out oh so flavorful!

Jessica Lee Binder said...

I'm not that sharp so here I was thinking you put beans, like black beans, on your waffle. Drr...

Jaime said...

haha - vanilla beans - you got me there! i thought you had put real beans in there ;) those waffles look perfect for breakfast; one of the few breakfast items i actually enjoy

Julie said...

Mmm....sounds delicious! I didn't figure it out either. I was thinkin' your were nuts...hehe.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Nom nom nom! I love waffles, especially with lots of yummy aromatics :D Hehe I didn't think it was vanilal beans though, I wonder does that make me as dull as a butter knife? :P

Nic said...

I adore waffles and these look brilliant!
Happy New Year and all the best for 2010!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Sorry Grace I had to delete my last comment too many typos. Vanilla beans have to be a staple in all of our cupboards. The burst of flavours are incredible.

Lindsey@pickyeatings said...

I apparently am not sharp like a scimitar, and I totally was expecting to see black beans or something equally as crazy in your waffles.

On the other hand, I want to buy vanilla beans (they sell them at Costco) and have been dying to try them out.

www.dhaleb.com said...

WOW! I am such a sucker for anything that uses vanilla beans. When I saw the photo I noticed the brown speckles from the vanilla bean right away. I even buy vanilla bean ice cream for the speckles!

This sounds SO good. Now to find a waffle maker...

Barbara said...

Always have loved vanilla beans! They make everything taste so much better, from a creme anglaise to your waffles! I stick the used ones in my sugar container.
We were in French Polynesia a couple years ago and saw a vanilla bean farm. They're expensive because they're so labor-intensive. In fact, I think they are second in price to saffron. Still, I usually have some in my pantry. Is anything better than vanilla ice cream made with vanilla beans??

Jennifer said...

I don't know if anyone else recommended this but if you have a few extra beans- make vanilla extract! Homemade vanilla extra is a thousand times better than anything you can buy in the store; including a very expensive unnamed brand that Martha uses. I have a bottle that I made in December of 08 and it's still going strong. Killer aroma.

Also, when you are done with your vanilla pods you can add them to a canister of sugar for vanilla sugar.

kimberleyblue said...

Using vanilla beans instead of extract is sooo much better. I love the sound of your waffles. Perfect way to bring in the new year!

Your waffles look like they have great texture too!

pigpigscorner said...

wow very vanillaey! Looks great!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

What a delicious beany way to start 2010! I have a lot of vanilla beans that need to be used up...perhaps waffles are in order :)

Two fit and fun gals said...

LOL i was squinting to see if i can find the baked beans (silly me)

La Bella Cooks said...

I will take 5 please. Yes, I am starving....
Another brilliant and delicious recipe, Grace.

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

I love the waffle and think it's a wonderful way to start the new year. Maybe not the peanut butter??
Happy New Year!

Jacque said...

Mmmm, aren't vanilla beans wonderful? All of those tiny little nuggets of goodness. Good idea, I'll bet those waffles were de-LISH!

Kerstin said...

PB and jelly waffles sound SO good! What a perfect way to use your vanilla beans!

Jeanne @ Cooksister! said...

I was concerned for a brief second (obviously lacking in the scimtar-like sharpness!!). The flecks that proper vanilla adds to a dish are just wonderful. And peanut butter and maple syrup? I love you!

shaz said...

You got me there - I'm obviously not the sharpest knife in the block :) What an awesome start to the year, and I really need a waffle iron...

Jennifer said...

I was wondering.. hahaha LOVE the beans in there, real flecks of sweet vanilla make everything better! :)

TKW said...

Oh, you are a tricky little minx!!

Sook said...

ha ha you almost got me there. :) Real vanilla beans in waffles... sounds really good!

Marjie said...

I love waffles. I keep batter in my fridge for the kids. Sometimes I replace the milk with orange juice and add milk powder; sometimes I use vanilla; sometimes they just eat straight waffles. One of these days I'm going to treat myself to real live vanilla beans!

Lori said...

Wowsers to those delicious wanilla vaffles! Very vundabar!

Dont yah just love vanilla. Me too!

pam said...

Well, I'm not too sharp, because I read the title and paused for the longest time trying to think of what bean you could have used!

Chef Fresco said...

Haha love this! Who knew you could get different types of vanilla beans?! Certainly note me! :)

Chef Fresco said...

oops - *not :)

Apples and Butter said...

I am not sharp at all because I read on expecting to find out about some new southern tradition. Vanilla beans and waffles make much more sense!

Karly said...

Ooh, those sound divine! I've always wanted to try cooking/baking with vanilla beans, but I've never gotten around to ordering any! You may have just inspired me to do so. :)

Nishant said...

you are a tricky little minx!!

Work from home India

Sinful Southern Sweets said...

I love vanilla beans! These look so good. I hate that I am going to have to run to the store in the freezing cold to buy ingredients for that yummy peanut butter and jelly wafflewich. I should only read these recipes right before making my shopping list!

Amy I. said...

Hey Grace! Congrats, you're the winner of the Joy of Cooking giveaway on my blog! Just shoot me an email with your address and I'll mail it out for you (playinghouseamy at gmail). Glad to discover your lovely blog too! Have a great weekend :)

Judy said...

You fooled me on this one. I thought I was going to read a recipe that had chickpeas. Great post.

Lyndas recipe box said...

Somehow, I missed this post-I was puzzeled at first; beans in waffles? I'm dense, Grace...vanilla beans would make the ultimate waffles, I'm sure. I have not tried vanilla beans yet, as they aren't avaible in my stores. I need to look when I visit elsewhere, soon. I have a waffle loving family, so I need to try these!

Gloria Baker said...

This look great Grace, xx gloria

Amanda said...

Wow. That is amazing. WOW!! You have got some fantastic skills girl... everything you have made this year (and last!) is begging to be in my kitchen. ANd my belly for that matter!

Blessings-
Amanda

Robin said...

I was hoping you were going to say vanilla beans because I don't think I would want other beans on my waffles! Looks so good! Happy New Year lady!!

Unknown said...

wanilla vaffles...haha. You are such a silly girl! These sound wonderful. I'm thinking we must be related somewhere along the line...peanut butter and maple syrup is so yummy. I use to eat a pb amd syrup sammie for lunch when I was a kid (my friends thought i was weird. they were right haha)

Deborah said...

Vanilla in waffles - you are a genius!

Anonymous said...

I never made waffles like this. I made it with honey and choco. I will try this. Thanks for good recipe :))

Carolyn Jung said...

Got me! Here, I was shaking my head, thinking, "OK, she couldn't really be adding like pinto beans or chickpeas, could she??'' ;)