Recently, I decided to make waffles for the girls, but I didn’t have time to get all yeasty about it, so I pulled Marion Cunningham’s “The Breakfast Book” off the shelf.

I love Marion Cunningham.

I hadn’t looked at this cookbook in a while, like perhaps since last winter when I went on a huge waffle kick, making every kind of yeast dough waffle I could find. So I opened it up. I forgot (how could I forget?) about the inscription in this book. I ordered it last year from a used bookseller. When it arrived, I opened it up and saw the inscription. Oddly, no names were used, so this could have very well been written to me by my own mom. Except that my mom passed away just days after my 16th birthday.

From her college days in St. Louis.

So when I read the inscription, I imagined that maybe my mom would have written something like that to me, if she had lived to see me married, and to know her grandchildren. And I cried. And I read it over and over and over again.

This book has a forever home in my cookbook collection.

This time, when I opened up the book, it felt like a gift all over again. A sweet message somehow making it all the way to me from my mom. I gave the book a hug. And then went on with the business of finding a good waffle recipe.

Now, don’t be upset, but I made these waffles just as written, and they have half butter, and half shortening. I don’t really like shortening, but odd thing is that I had some in my cabinet from all the fussing around I did with pie crust experimenting. So I just went for it. And they just may have been the best waffles I have ever made.

Perfect.

Crispy golden on the outside, and moist and cake-y fluffy on the inside. Nothing fancy, no extra frills. I don’t even think there is vanilla in this recipe. And there is hardly any sugar. But my, oh my. And still being me, I had to make them again a couple of times, reducing the amount of shortening and increasing the amount of butter. Nope. Not the same. I also made them and added a bunch of homey spices to the batter. Nope. I finally made them again this past weekend, and followed the recipe almost exactly as written. Perfection. So, if you are looking for a delicious, crispy waffle recipe that is so easy it’s a no-brainer, here you go:

Classic Waffles

(Adapted from Marion Cunningham’s Classic Waffles recipe)

• 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed slightly
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 5 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted

1. Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk together until blended.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs well and stir in the milk. Combine with the flour mixture just until mixed. Add the melted butter and shortening and combine well. Do not over mix.
3. Pour about 1/2 cup batter into a very hot waffle iron. Bake waffles until golden and crisp. (Bake until there is barely a wisp of steam coming out of the waffle iron.) Serve hot. Makes about ten 4″ x 4″ waffles.

My favorite waffle iron… Cuisinart.

My favorite new kitchen gadget – dough whisk!