Yesterday was the 1st of December. For the week prior I had been thinking of advent calendars; what I grew up with, which one I wanted to do, what activities would be in it and why.

There are so many great ideas online, so many crafty ones far beyond my talents.  We had briefly talked about it, and we know Calla is still a little young this year to grasp the concept, but I wanted to start something.  Even something small, to get the juices flowing and first Christmas traditions for our little family started.

A few ideas I had come up with were the traditional ones; bake Christmas cookies, watch a Christmas movie, make a gingerbread house, take food items to the food bank, drop donations off at salvation army, make a Christmas craft, decorate the tree and house, and read a Christmas story.  Nothing too original, but that’s Ok.  It’s stuff that we both grew up with, and the older she gets the more we can add and make them special to us.

The idea of these Eggnog waffles came together piece by piece.  First, I spotted Eggnog at the Grocery store and decided to buy some, I was originally thinking Eggnog Scones.  Then I remembered the Waffle Iron by Grandma had sent us a little while ago and how I still hadn’t tested it out yet (I mean how could I not, I love waffles).  Then I realized December 1st was on us, and I still hadn’t put together our advent calendar.  Then it dawned on me that if these turned out nice, which they did, they could be added as the first item to our advent calendar and possible Christmas tradition in the making.

I also didn’t intend on posting two breakfast items in a row, but Calla did sleep for 2 hours yesterday allowing me to make these, so it sort of worked out perfectly.

This is a simple recipe with just a few main ingredients.  I chose Oat Flour and Whole Wheat flour, which produced a nice textural waffle, but if you do not have those or prefer a more classic flavor, I think you would be fine using All purpose or all Whole wheat, you just may need to adjust the batter in the end.  A little too thick, add a splash of milk or a little too runny, add a bit more flour. You could use part milk, part eggnog, you would just have a milder Eggnog flavor. The nutmeg is optional, I usually add it to my Eggnog drinks, so thought I’d add it here as well.

My waffle iron has 4 square spots, so I used about 1/2 cup of batter per square.  This being the first time using it, I wasn’t sure what to expect for temperature, but kept it on 2-3 (medium) and that worked perfectly.  Also make sure to spray the grills with oil beforehand so they don’t stick.  I got a little impatient waiting for that first batch and tried lifting the lid too soon. Spotted the waffle pulling apart, so closed it quickly.  Waited a few more minutes, then peeked again. The lid came up clear and the waffles stayed intact, phew. Let them cook until they are nicely golden, then remove, spray grills again and repeat. Enjoy with maple syrup and a little icing sugar.

Happy Waffle Making!!

Multigrain Eggnog Waffles

2 cups Light Eggnog1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup Oat Flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of fine grain sea salt
3 Eggs, whisked
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Heat your waffle grill to medium. Mix together flours, baking powder, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg (optional) in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add eggnog and cooled butter, whisking again. Pour eggnog mix into flour mixture and stir together until just combined.

Spray grill with cooking oil.  Pour 1/2 cup onto each square (I used a square, 4 waffle grill), and close lid. Let cook about 3 minutes or so. Lift up gently.  If batter pulls apart, close quickly and allow to cook for a few minutes longer.  Remove waffles once golden brown.  Spray grill again, and repeat until all batter is used.

Keep waffles warm in oven set to 200F.  Or enjoy promptly with maple syrup and sprinkle of icing sugar.