These Cornmeal and Ricotta Waffes are a spiffed up waffle recipe that has both a crunchy outer texture, and a soft interior texture 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.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve purchased frozen waffles. This waffle recipe has a different twist– using both ricotta cheese and cornmeal. Wow! The ricotta cheese makes the inside of the waffle moist, while the cornmeal gives a lovely “crunch” to the exterior.
The inspiration to make this recipe happened when I discovered I had leftover ricotta cheese, that I wanted to use before it went bad. Then, I remembered a recipe for Cornmeal & Ricotta Waffles that I made a year ago. I found the photos on my hard drive, and I realized I never posted it, because I didn’t like the shots I took of the plated waffles ( Perfectionists Bloggers, isn’t that such a disappointment when that happens?)
The dry ingredients you will need are cake flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt…
This morning, I also wanted to make my boy’s beloved “Candied Bacon” to go with these waffles.
I remembered that the first time I made these, the recipe amounts made enough waffles to feed 6-8people. Way too much! This morning, I cut the ingredients in half, and I got eight waffles. For the wet ingredients, you need ricotta cheese and egg yolks (save the whites)… (I decided to add pure vanilla extra, because I love vanilla).
You will also need milk and melted, unsalted butter. The egg whites are whipped until stiff peaks form.
NOTE: I used to resist taking the time and hassle of whipping up egg whites and folding them into waffle batter. Know what? It’s worth it, because they turn out fluffy and tender! I actually love using my OXO Good Grips Egg Beater, which whips up egg whites almost as fast as a stand or hand mixer.
The wet ingredients are quickly whisked with the dry ingredients, and then the egg whites are folded in until there are no more white streaks. This is a lot of batter!
Cornmeal and Ricotta Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups ricotta cheese 12-ounces
- 1 cups milk
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 ¾ cup cake flour
- 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
- 4 ounces unsalted butter 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for serving
- Pure maple syrup for serving
- Crisp bacon strips for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat an 8-inch square waffle iron and preheat the oven to 200°F. Set a baking sheet with a rack on top (this keeps the waffles warm and not soggy, as air can circulate better).
- 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.
Nutrition
You can`t go wrong with bacon 😉 This looks like the perfect breakfast!
We need to use the waffle maker that I bought for my husband one year for Christmas . . . I think it has been used twice! Nothing like home-made, always a winner when made with love! I understand about living where you want to retire and 'practicing to retire'….. a great feeling!
Wishing you and Craig a most blessed, healthy, and happy 2014! PS: Congrats on making the top Pinterest posts of the year! That's really BIG!
xo
Roz
I need to make more fun breakfasts like this. The cornmeal and ricotta must make these extra delicious!! Two of my favorite things.
Ricotta in waffles is suchhh a good idea! LOVE that you made candied bacon, too!
Sues