Mother's Day Banana & Pecan Waffles With MASECA

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and MASECA. All opinions are my own.

If you were to ask any Mother what she would like for Mother’s day, I’m willing to bet most, if not all of them, would ask for…

1. More sleep.
2. A part-time maid.
3. World peace.
4. More sleep.
5. Someone else to make breakfast.
6. Maybe a little more sleep.

Okay, so maybe not all of them would ask for that much sleep, but I bet they would like to be able to at least sleep in without having to worry about what’s for breakfast. Am I right?! It’s the truth! And while I’m being honest, I have to say that going out to eat at a restaurant for breakfast on Mother’s Day is not always at the top of her list either. The wait to be seated, waited on, and served is twice as long as any other day.

All that does is take away from what is supposed to be a relaxing day that is all about Mom. You know what a Mom really wants for Mother’s Day? Here’s a hint: It has nothing to do with jewelry or money. If you plan out her day with all the non-materialistic things that make her happy, it can be one of the most memorable Mother’s Day holiday for her. One of those gifts I can assure you is a homemade breakfast to start the day right.

A homecooked meal in the comfort of her own home is one of the best gifts anyone can give a Mother on this special day. Today’s post is just that. A warm, homemade breakfast with a passed down traditional favorite ingredient – MASECA.

These Banana & Pecan Waffles made with MASECA’s instant corn flour will have the kitchen smelling so good. All you need is a waffle iron and the following ingredients.

1 cup MASECA corn flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 whole banana
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or bacon (optional)

Recipe makes about eight, 4-inch waffles

In a medium bowl combine the baking powder with the MASECA until all the baking powder is evenly mixed into the flour.

Set aside.

Grease your waffle iron with a thin coat of vegetable oil by using a pastry brush or paper towel. Close the waffle iron, and plug it in to start heating up.

In another medium-sized bowl, combine the banana, vanilla extract, and two egg yolks. Mash everything together with a fork until the banana is completely mashed.

Add the oil and milk.

Mix everything well again with the fork.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients together with a whisk (or a fork).

DO NOT add the egg whites yet!
We will take care of those in a minute.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a thick batter and most of the lumps are gone. It’s okay if the batter is a tiny bit lumpy.

Set the batter aside.

Now we can begin with the egg whites.

Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk them until they become fluffy and begin to form stiff peaks.

You can use a hand whisk or an electric one. This was my first time doing this by hand and I was surprised how easy it was. It only took about two minutes and I got a good arm workout!

I tested this recipe without whisking the egg whites, and just combined the whole eggs with the batter, the waffles were too soft and never fully developed a soft fluffy interior. They were slightly dense. Whisking the egg whites until stiff made a huge difference! So don’t skip this step!

With a spatula, add the batter (and chopped pecans if you are using them) to the egg whites. Combine everything by folding the egg whites into the batter gently.

When done folding, you will have a spongy and airy batter that is slightly runny but still thick.

Use a measuring cup to pour the batter into the hot waffle iron. Using a measuring cup will make it easier to be consistent with the sizes of the waffles. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup (even though it didn’t entirely fill up the plates) because I wanted them small. You can use a bigger cup size if you want them bigger.

Close the lid and wait!

A helpful tip: Time the waffles! On my waffle iron, these cooked in about six and a half minutes. Other waffle irons might take longer so keep an eye on the time, AND steam. No steam coming from the sides of the waffle iron is a good indicator that the waffles are done.

When you take them out of the waffle iron, it’s best to lay them flat side-by-side on a plate or baking sheet. Stacking them on top of each other traps the steam and makes them become soggy. You can also keep them warm and crisp by keeping them in a 200-degree warm oven until everyone is ready to eat.

Top them with more pecans, banana slices and syrup.

And don’t forget to pour her a glass of milk when you serve her these yummy waffles!

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and MASECA. All opinions are my own. For more great recipes, follow MASECA with hashtag #MasecaNosGusta, or on Facebook.