Beer Waffles: Two Ways (Blueberry Cream Ale and Apple Wheat)

I'm sure I've said this before, but one of my favorite parts about blogging is the friends I've made online. I don't often get to meet them in real life, although it does happen on special occasions (like this time and this time). I discovered Kelsey from Appeasing a Food Geek because she had linked to my site on her inspirations page. (Thanks, Kelsey!). It totally blows my mind when someone links to me like that. Before I started this blog, there were tons of blogs I followed that I consider my "inspirations." It thrills me to know that my blog now serves that purpose for other people. Even though this site is almost two years old now, I still think of myself as a fairly new blogger. 

I quickly discovered that Kelsey was located in the State College area, only about two hours from me. OBVIOUSLY we had to meet up and collaborate. What makes Kelsey's site special is that she is a grad student in the food science department at Penn State, so she gets all nerdy on her blog and talks about the science behind her recipes. I also love that she only uses her iPhone for her photos, which look fantastic. She uses the VSCO app a lot, which is a look I particularly love (and use for my Instagrams all the time). Be sure to check out her Wine Wednesday series, where she highlights wines under $10 and pairs them with a recipe.

I believe Kelsey and I started talking back in March, and we made plans to meet up in May after her classes ended for the summer. Well, May rolled around and it had gotten all booked up, so we had to reschedule. Our lives were so incredibly busy this summer that we had to reschedule for early August. My mom doesn't believe me when I say you need to make plans with me two months in advance. I'm serious, mom!

Thankfully, we made it happen. Kelsey came to visit one weekend and we had a blast. I took her to some of my favorite local restaurants, she met my parents and some friends (even my Fake Uncle Dave), we got bloody marys (the first time I ever ordered one of my own, and I ended up giving most of mine away ...), our dog Gilmour stole her heart and she eventually won him over as well, we talked about blogging and cookbooks, and of course we photographed a lot of waffles. (My freezer is full of waffles if anyone needs some.)

I had been wanting to do beer waffles on the blog for some time now, and it seemed like a perfect collaboration for the two of us. I knew Kelsey would be able to step in and explain why the heck we're even putting beer in our waffles in the first place. (I am soooo not a scientist.) So you can read all about that over on her post. Since there are two of us, we went with two different kinds of beer waffles. First we have blueberry waffles made with a blueberry cream ale, punched up with cinnamon and lemon zest (recipe below). And then we have apple cinnamon waffles full of tiny little apple chunks, made with an apple-wheat beer (recipe on Kelsey's site).

We used some super local beers from Snitz Creek Brewery, which is quite literally located around the corner from my apartment. The apple-wheat and blueberry cream ale are two of my favorite ones that they produce. However, don't let that stop you - You can use any similar beer you can get your hands on, or even a plain lager. It will still give that unique flavor and beer science to the waffles, and you'll still get a lot of flavor from the fruit and spices. It's the alcohol and the bubbles that are the key players here for the beer (two of my favorite things when it comes to beverages).

So thank you, Kelsey, for a super fun collaboration! I can't wait until the next one.

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Illustration at top created with Photoshop. (I switched it up a little this time and did my illustration in the style of my #commute paintings.)
Prints of my illustrations (plus other products with my work on them) are available in my Society6 shop.

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BLUEBERRY CREAM ALE WAFFLES

Makes 11-13 6-inch waffles

INGREDIENTS

• 1.75 cups (228g) all purpose flour

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• zest from 1/2 a lemon

• 3 large egg whites

• 3 large egg yolks

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup buttermilk ( or 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar + whole milk filled to 1 cup)

• 3/4 cup blueberry cream ale

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

• 2 cups fresh blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest. Set aside.

2. Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer until medium-soft peaks form.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, buttermilk and beer. Then slowly mix in the melted butter while whisking at the same time.

4. Add the butter mixture and the blueberries to the flour mixture. Using a spatula, mix gently until just combined.

5. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the rest of the batter.

6. Let the batter rest while you heat up your waffle iron. When it’s ready, spray with nonstick baking spray and spoon some batter into it. For a standard waffle maker (not a Belgian one), I use about 1/3 cup of batter per waffle. Cook them according to your waffle maker’s specifications.

7. Place the finished waffles on a cooling rack so they don’t steam themselves and get soggy. To keep them warm, you can place them on a cooling rack set on a cookie sheet, and keep them in a warm oven (about 200°F) until you are ready to eat. Serve with more butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. or whatever your heart desires.

NOTES

adapted from Bon Appetit