Book Review- Waffles

Waffles are the new cupcake, or should be. This book, Waffles- Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara is a great example of why.

The introduction shows someone who is very enthused about these moist, crisp, perfectly pocketed food. It also discusses the ingredients used in most of the recipes and how those ingredients can affect the final outcome and how to figure out baking times for your waffle iron to make the perfect waffle. It also talks about freezing and reheating waffles and tips for making waffles.

Then it gets into the fun part, the recipes. Chapter 1-Waffles Plain and Simple, those basic waffles that allow your choice of toppings to shine. Most of the recipes in this book use baking soda or baking powder to make them rise, but the Belgian waffle recipe in this section is one of two yeast waffles and it's my favorite recipe in this section. It takes a little time to make but it's well worth it. For quicker, also incredibly tasty waffles, the Golden Cornmeal Waffles are crispy and make a good base for savory or sweet toppings.

Chapter 2 is Fruit, Nuts and Not-So-Plain Waffles, and has those breakfast waffles that a treat. You expect something like Wild Blueberry-Buttermilk Waffles which would also work well with other small berries, less expected but also very good, Spicy Pumpkin Waffles or Cornmeal and Bacon Waffles.

Chapter 3 is Savories, my son's favorite. He always prefers savory to sweet, and gets very excited about things like Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche waffles. If you really want to go over the top, Fried Chicken and Waffles with Bacon Gravy is another recipe in this chapter.

Chapter 4 is Waffle Finales which are dessert like waffles, some with a gourmet touch such as my personal favorite in the whole cookbook, Waffles with Sweet Goat Cheese, Cherries in Port Syrup and Toasted Almonds which start with basic waffles, then get gloriously topped. My daughter likes the meringue topped S'morish Waffles.

Chapter 5 is To Top It Off is toppings for waffles. I've made honeyed cream cheeses before but never thought of maple syrup cream cheese which is simple, easy and good. Lemon Curd is more time consuming but an absolute classic with scones that works well with waffles as well.

The book has gorgeous photographs, well written recipes, and is hard cover bound. It would make a good gift as well as being a nice themed cookbook in your collection. A good index and table of contents make it easy to find specific recipes. Recipes have measurements both by metric weight and by American volume. I definitely recommend it to waffle enthusiasts.


I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.