Banana Walnut Waffles

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I don’t have one single recipe memorized.

Actually wait…. I have the recipe for a Bourbon and Ginger Ale memorized.  That’s two ingredients.  That doesn’t really count.

I don’t have one single baking recipe set to memory.  Not my Dad’s Buttermilk Biscuit recipe.  Not my favorite pancake recipe.  Not the best Creme Fraiche Quiche ever.  None of those are in my brain.

What I do have in my brain is:  my best friend’s parents’ phone number, from 1988, the license plate number for my first car, and every single lyric to Blues Traveler’s “Hook”.

Wwwwhhhhyyyyy?

Can we erase these three useless pieces of information, and replace them with:  a buttermilk biscuit recipe, the quadratic equation, and something awesomely conversational… like the lifespan of the beluga whale.  That would be better, don’t you think?

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Waffles for two.

You know… just like every day in your house, right?

I know.  Me neither.  It’s just that… sometimes you need to make Tuesday special.

Maple syrup helps tremendously.

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In real life, it was waffle for three, right next to the front door with lots of natural light.  Whatevs.

Banana Walnut Waffles

serves 4

Print this Recipe!

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cups canola or vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ½ cups buttermilk

1/2 cup mashed banana

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Set your waffle iron in a level, clean surface and turn on to preheat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla extract buttermilk, bananas, and walnuts.  Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir until just incorporated.  Try not to over-mix the batter.  If a few lumps remain in the batter, that’s ok.

Cook according to your waffle machine instructions.

Serve with warm maple syrup.  Waffles are best served immediately.

Note:  Allow waffles to cool completely.  Store them in pairs in ziplock bags and store in the freezer.  In the morning, gently reheat waffles in the toaster or toaster oven.  Best toaster breakfast ever.

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142 Responses

  1. Joy,

    I recently found your website and I am in love with it! I made the waffles this morning.. I made the following substitutions since I didn’t have certain ingredients:
    – Home-made granola instead of walnuts
    – Milk instead of butter-milk

    I also added a little bit of chocolate chip (hey, its the weekend!) in the last round of waffles.

    They come out soft, and fluffy..I could smell the sweet banana. Thank you for your yummy recipe! LOVE IT!

  2. OMG! I made these tonight for breakfast-for-dinner (much needed) and they were amazing! I just used skim milk instead of buttermilk and substituted applesauce for vegetable oil and they were fabulous. I’m not much a syrup girl though, do you know of any good ways to dress up warm honey other than smothering it on my waffles?

  3. I have random things memorized, but I also can bake without recipes as well. Consider it a requirement when you’re a Northern Eskimo.

    Also, the lifespan of Beluga Whales lowers considerably when their pods arrive in our Sound. Cause we catch them (with a gun, harpoon or net), cut them up and eat them. They are very good, better than other whale types. Come to think of it, they are the best tasting whales around.

    :)

  4. I eyeballed the vanilla extract which I think is where I went wrong with this recipe-instead of warm goodness it tasted less than perfect.

  5. Tuesdays are busy days in my household. It is school-day for my 2 year old. Yes! She goes to school only once a week, speech therapy because she is hearing impaired. She does not get to finish her breakfast most Tuesdays so I have to bring it with us on our drive to the center. She will definitely enjoy a therapy Tuesday with a delicious banana walnut waffle. Thanks for sharing!

  6. It’s so good to know I’m not alone in my shameful lack of retention for recipes I make hundreds of times over >.< Maybe it's just the comfort of having the physical recipe in front of us? Either way, I will definitely add this delicious waffle recipe to my notes! The pictures are beautiful, and I totally agree with your sentiments–sometimes you just have to make the weekdays work for you :)

  7. Good to know I’m not the only one who can’t remember a recipe to save my life. What IS that? I’ve been making the same pancakes almost every Sunday morning for a year now and I still have to pull out that stained, wrinkly recipe every single time? LAME.

    Nice cat. I hate cats in general, but that one looks rather agreeable.

  8. What a delicious recipe! Walnuts with just about anything make me happy :)

    I think your feline friend wants some breakfast too, lol

    …and don’t feel so bad, my memory is complete mush. I’m surprised I remember any of my recipes, but trust me, notebooks and MS Word are lifesavers for me!

  9. These look awesome! I really need a waffle iron, but we so have no room for anything else in this kitchen! (and it’s really not THAT small)

  10. Yep, I’ve got my mom’s license plates memorized from when I was a kid and our phone number back then. I also remember birthdays, but am terrrrible with names. Why are there so many yummy waffle recipes like this but no waffle maker in my possession? First world problems.

  11. I still use my best friend’s parent’s phone number at Safeway for their club card discount. I’m 25 and have yet to sign up for my own. Kinda silly. These make me want maple syrup real bad!

  12. Okay, so Mr. Smith is not a person that is willing to consume nuts. He isn’t allergic, he just looks on them as poison. I know, but I love him, so I replaced the walnuts with mini chocolate chips.

    Holy Moses! Banana Bread Waffles from heaven! A new regular for Breakfast for Dinner.

  13. I can’t remember what I did last week, much less have a recipe memorized, even if it is one I’ve made 100x! But I can sing harmonies on songs from the 80s that I didn’t even realize I knew. Odd.

    And all my food usually ends up on a cutting board sitting on top of a bar stool by the back door. With a cat staring at it intently too.

  14. bwhaha…I can still remember those 4 exact things (well, not your best friend’s parent’s number, but mine – that I had to dial on our rotary phone. maybe that is why i remember, it was laborious).
    Not a fan of the bananas, I despise them actually, but I am so in on the breakfast for dinner option!

  15. It’s funny how selective the brain is when it comes to remembering things. I can only remember what isn’t important! Oh, and let’s not forget the waffles. Mmm… WAFFLES. I won’t be forgetting those anytime soon.

  16. This brings up an excellent point I’ve been pondering about food shows. For example one of the challenges on Master Chef this season was to make a 3-layer cake in an hour. Ok fine, but who has a cake recipe memorized? Do they get to use a cookbook or what?

  17. I have chocolate chip cookies memorized, however I always double check it, just in case I have a serious brain fart. It happens. To the best of us. Love the waffles!

  18. Haha, I never remember anything important either (which is probably why I’m terrible at histroy), but I can remember weird and random facts and events. Of course, nothing comes to mind right now. Anyways, I like waffles. These waffles look yummy. It’s like banna bread shoved into a waffle maker.

  19. I don’t know, are you sure that is isn’t: Ginger Ale and Bourbon?
    That is my not-so-secret shame… I can’t cook without a recipe. At all.
    (Lucky kitty getting to eat waffles)

  20. Joy, I UNDERSTAND! Trust me! Everyone goes “come on, you know all those recipes by heart.” I’m like “If I did, then I wouldn’t have to clean my laptop every day from flour overdose.” I do know some by heart, but wow it’s a lot to remember! I love your waffles too I’ve had banana walnut waffles before and they were fabulous! Yum!

  21. The brain is a mysterious thing. A song came on the other day that I seriously hadn’t heard since the 8th grade and I knew all the words over a decade later. Crazy.

    In 2 weeks I’m planning on baking for one of my graduate classes. Thing is, I have no idea what to bake! Usually I would go with the time honored choco oatmeal cookies with some walnuts. Mmmm. Bbuutt there’s a boy in the class… isn’t that the way it always go? And since you’re like the baking guru/big sister of the internet for me (this that creepy? I’m sorry if it is), I thought I’d ask you! I’ve been going through your recipe archives again and again instead of studying and I’m thinking either pull-apart bread, apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies, or cappuccino cookies… unless I should just listen to my room mate and go with the classic choco oatmeal… so damn complicated! So need to impress!

  22. 522-4463. I won’t ever forget that number! And for songs, remember “Regulator” by Nate Dogg and Warren G? That’s the one i know ;).

    As for recipes, I know how to do a handful, but .. that doesn’t amount to much!

  23. These sound delicious! …. and amazingly I have all the ingredients, except (sadly) a waffle machine :( I’ll have to add one of those to my wishlist. Luckily, I also have all the ingredients for chocolate chip banana bread, so I will just have to make that instead.

    By the way, one of the things I actually have committed to memory is the quadratic formula as my Freshman math teacher in high school had us memorize it to the tune of “Row, row, row your boat”… it is now more than 10 years later and I still remember it because of that song!

  24. Not only do I have the lyrics to Hook (and every other song on that album down), I can also whistle the harmonica solos, which is exactly as annoying as you would think it would be.

  25. I remember odd numbers and things too but can never remember the names of people I meet.

    I remember the dijon mustard tarte recipe because there are only 4 ingredients apart from the crust. That’s a good thing because it’s my husband’s fave.

  26. According to wikipedia, beluga whales live fifty years or more, I’m no big banana fan, but I love waffles. I think I’ll make them for breakfast tomorrow, thanks for the reminder!

  27. So I get done with my work out and just finish polishing off my big bowl of satisfying oatmeal and egg whites only to sit down, open my email, and get a picture of these yummy looking waffles! Suddenly I’m not feeling quite so satisfied, then I start to think about the 400 calories I burned this morning, a little breathing room right? Hmmmm…….. lunch is looking promising. Thanks for the temptation. ;)

  28. The only recipe I have memorised is whole wheat bread, and only because I make it at least once a week. Also because it only has five ingredients, haha. Making biscuits every week might not be the best thing for you (also less exciting), so I say don’t worry about it. Childhood phone numbers do seem to have a way of sticking around, don’t they? Weird.

  29. Mmmm waffles…I’m glad you emphasized the maple syrup, real is key! I am curious to try this recipe as the eggs are not separated. For me, that is the key to keeping them light and fluffy, but I am definitely open to new methods.

  30. I also enjoy the picture of your “kitty” to the left looking at you like you caught him trying to eat your waffles…or maybe the place setting is for him.

  31. I’ve never used a waffle iron, but I’m inspired! I have one recipe memorized: chocolate chip cookies. I started making them when I was 8 years old. The recipe came from a handmade church cookbook that was compiled by the church ladies. The recipes were photocopied on pink, mint green and pale yellow paper (!) and had pieces of wallpaper for a cover. The cookbook may have looked goofy, but the cookies were – and still are – fantastic!

  32. How did you know that I need to us eup the buttermilk in my fridge? And how did you know that I nee dto some up with something to feed my mother-in-law from brunch on Saturday? This recipe is perfect! Yum!!! (oh, and yeah, I still know all my childhood friends parents phone numbers too – such a waste of brain space but I can;t get rid of them!)

  33. Those waffles are GORGEOUS.

    And I’m right there with you and all the other readers who can’t remember a recipe to save my life, and would love to free the brain space where I have every single ‘1up’ from Super Mario Brothers saved and shove some recipes in there!!!!

  34. Funny about the phone number – I still remember mine from when I was7 and that was well over 30 years ago! Mmmm…waffles. Time to go make breakfast.
    One of my most favoritististist lines evah…”And in the morning, I’m making waffles!”

  35. i thought i had a brownie recipe memorized, but realized i didn’t when i tried to make them on vacation. dang. my brain is full of useless facts. it’s just life i guess.

    my husband would love these waffles. he just love bananas AND walnuts. also, sometimes you just have to have breakfast where the light is, it’s all right.

  36. Waffles are my all time favorite breakfast food. There’s just no comparison. The little pockets for syrup, the smell, the texture, it all reminds me of when my grandma babysat me for a week each year. She would get up early and make waffles one day before I went to school. It was always a surprise and always welcomed!

  37. I’m also another person who cannot remember a recipe to save myself. But, I can tell you random case numbers from an office job I had some years back. So ridiculous.

    As always, thanks for the awesome recipe! It reminds me that I haven’t made waffles in some time, and I think I need to now.

  38. I have been shopping for a waffle maker this week, reading CI and Amazon reviews. Your waffles always look like they are cooked evenly and with the perfect crunch I like. Would you be willing to share what type of waffle maker your entertaining with?

    Thanks!
    Kacey

  39. beluga whale! If i had coffee I would have spit it out at that part.
    I remember people’s birthdays from like 2nd grade. WHHHYYY??

    also friend, love what you did with the this is real life. nice placement!

  40. Proving my nerddom (but also a fun fact, since the only reason I can remember this is because my math teacher in high school used a song to teach it to us–sing to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel”):

    “x equals -b +/- (the square root of) b-squared – 4ac (all over) 2a”!

    That would be a lot more impressive if commenting would let me write things out as an equation, doggone it.

  41. HOLY GEEZUS! your blog is sooo good since it full of nice picture of heaven food :) follow you dear :) (i hope you follow me back or at least check my blog, i’m sure you’ll get some inspiration there)

    Love, seycil corner

  42. I look forward to these posts everyday. Literally. I haven’t made anything yet but each recipe and running commentary inspires me. I look forward to my own kitchen one day where I will have pretty tablecloths like you, colorful cookware, and I’ll cook according to my moods and the weather…not always based on my timetable or wallet :) Banana and walnut pancakes are my favorite (along with big breakfasts in general), so I especially appreciate today’s post! Thank you!

  43. Joy, doesn’t it kill you to have to take photos while beautiful, delicious-smelling and freshly made waffles are just sitting there, begging to be eaten? I’m pretty sure I would just attack those waffles as soon as they were ready :)

  44. Sweetie, with your beautiful handwriting, it would be a shame to not have to write everything down. I am green with envy over your lovely penmanship. Good thing green is my color!

  45. It makes me feel better that you don’t have recipes memorized either. I make my boy a loaf of banana peach bread every week, and every week I have to pull out the binder. I always think “I bet Joy the Baker has her banana bread recipes memorized…” (“the Baker” is your last name, right?)

  46. Here’s a recipe you can memorize easily, for toffee! 1 cup sugar and 1 cup butter, heated until marshmallowy and golden. Pour onto a greased lined baking sheet, and top with chocolate chips. When the chips melt, spread them. Technically, a thermometer is supposed to be involved, but this works for me, usually, as long as it gets golden enough.

  47. You have your driver’s license number memorized? I’m impressed! My high school calculus teacher drilled the quadratic equation so far into my head that I can still spout it out on command, seven years later (sheesh). Actually, confession: one way I know I’m borderline too tipsy is when I can’t get that equation right. Nerd alert! Anyway, I’m totally going to try making your banana waffles with whole wheat pastry flour. I bet it’ll work!

  48. I always wish I could replace the memory of my phone number from 1970 (four four two – oh nine nine eight)with something more useful, like why I opened the middle kitchen cupboard…. I do have my pancake recipe memorized tho, so I’m not totally useless and old!

  49. Waffles with Kitty? Perfect way to start a Tuesday.

    I too often wonder how I can recall my best friend’s phone number from 25 years ago, the words to random songs from high school and what TV shows an actor played small roles in before breaking big. But I can’t keep the things for work straight. I would like to have it surgically removed from my brain so I can recall audiology stuff, how to process my paperwork and maybe some recipes as well!

  50. Nothing wrong with having “Hook” memorized – love Blues Traveler! And I still have to pull out my Fannie Farmer cookbook for pancakes and waffles and pie crust and pecan puffs and . . . I blame age and Jeopardy. I know all the answers to those inane questions so no room for recipes.

  51. Recipes memorized? Well, since I never make the same thing twice, am incapable of actually following a recipe without making major adaptations, I have nothing memorized. Or ever repeated. Lol.

    Your waffles look…so good.

    Lovin’ that natural light you found, too :) Such pretty pics!

  52. I don’t have one single recipe memorized either…but I could tell you my locker combination from 5th grade. One would think after making approximately 50,000 batches of chocolate chip cookies in my life I’d at least have that in my head, but I do not…

  53. If only I had a waffle iron *sighs*. Could make these for a special person’s birthday.

    Recently started following your blog. Loving the food and the photography.

    p.s. why a beluga whale? Knowing the lifespan of Dr Who or Captain Jack Harkness would be way awesomier/awesome-er(?).

  54. Haha I hear you! I can’t remember my new card PIN number but I still remember my junior school friend’s landline number, what I (and they) was wearing on every single date I’ve been to and the exact date I saw U2 in 2005. Go figure. And please tell me if you do, because I don’t get it.

    These waffles shall be made this weekend, thanks for the recipe! I love the idea of crunchy walnuts in waffles hmmm..

  55. I can’t even remember birthdays. That’s bad, because people think I don’t care about them. I do care. It’s just that I forget. Anyway. There should be a special Tuesday every week. With waffles. And a waffle maker. Do you think I can order it on-line? Here in Italy there’s no way to found them :-(

  56. I remember so much useless things, but have a terrible habit of almost never using recipes for anything. This means that when I make things like cornbread and biscuits they are sometimes awesome and sometimes not so much.
    PS. Your cat is so cute. I think ginger cats are extra cheeky.
    Jess
    xx

  57. I remember the pattern how to type a friend’s phone number from grade 5 that I haven’t spoken to in the last 10 years and don’t like for longer, but my favorite buttermilk waffle recipe vanishes from my mind as soon as the ingredients hit the bowl. I’ve prepared google documents for my favorite waffle recipes, so I can prepare them when I’m at a friend’s place and we spontaneously decided we need to have waffles NOW. :)

  58. I can tell you the lifespan of a beluga whaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllleeeeeeee!!!!!!
    (and worms)
    can you send me one of the waffles in the mail? i can send worms in the mail.
    why are all my wall posts to you completely STUPID {:/

  59. Ohmygoodness! If there’s one thing I want more than anything this fall it’s a waffle iron! Breakfast is my Caps Lock favorite. I just had (brace yourself) Pancake. Tacos. From the Eggslut truck here in LA. They’re my next food truck review! Buttermilk Pancake, with scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, and maple syrup, that you eat like a taco. Um, GENIUS GRANT

    1. I got a George Forman waffle iron on clearance at Target this week for $4.75, here in IN. They had lots of them, in pink and black. It may be worth a look where you are!

  60. I also can’t remember recipes – but I can tell you everyone’s birthday from my 1st grade class. (I’m very weird with dates).

    These look amazing! And I’ve been craving waffles lately.. will definitely make these soon. Thanks!

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