Bloody Banana Cinnamon Waffles

A few weeks ago I attempted to make strawberry freezer jam. Strawberries have been on sale for a dollar at Meijer's for a few weeks, so it seemed like a good time to experiment, in case something went awry.  Wouldn't you know it, the jam never set up properly.  Grrr.  And I followed the recipe in the package to the letter too.

Instead of pitching a fit (and the jam) I decided that it would make perfectly awesome syrup.

Now what to put that strawberry syrup on?  Obviously I would make waffles, not pancakes.  That's a given.  But what kind of waffles?  I searched the internets and found this recipe for banana cinnamon waffles from Handle the Heat.

As luck would have it, I happened to have two very ripe bananas.  Awesome!   We hardly ever have over ripe bananas.  These must be waffles of destiny. (Insert dramatic music here.)  

Here they are in all their syrup-y glory.  Let's pretend that the waffles DON'T look like they're bleeding.

And here they are nekkid. 

I was a little worried while making the waffles. First, they started sticking to my waffle iron. Something that doesn't normally happen. After a bit of trial and error. I discovered that I needed to spray the iron with cooking spray after every other waffle. Second, they really smelled banana-y while cooking. Normal people would not think this is a cause for concern, unless those normal people have the same aversion to the aroma of bananas that I do.

Luckily the scent was short lived, and I didn't have any nausea flashbacks.

The strawberry syrup and waffles made a great pair.  I can appreciate bananas when they are accompanied by strawberries. Even if the strawberries make the banana dish look like it's in dire need of a tourniquet.

The waffles were quite filling.  I usually eat 3, but could only eat one and a half.  I thought maybe it might have just been my appetite that day, but now that I think about it, Blockette usually eats two waffles, and only ate one.  Oh and Mrblocko only ate two as well.  Maybe its the combination of the whole wheat, flax and banana that makes them so hearty.

I'd totally make these waffles again, even if I didn't have any strawberry syrup.  Although, I think next time I'd add some walnuts.  Cause that would be like banana bread waffles!

Banana Cinnamon Waffles from Handle the Heat  
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large ripe bananas, mashed

Combine flours, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together milk, butter, and eggs in a large liquid measuring cup or small bowl. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until blended. Fold in mashed bananas.

Preheat a waffle iron. Coat iron with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. (I used a heaping 1/3c for my round waffle iron.) Cook 3-4 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat with remaining batter.  (I set my waffle iron on a 4 out of 5.  I usually make waffles set on 5 as I like them crispy.  If you have your waffle iron set too high, the banana in the waffle will start to burn.) Makes about 1 dozen in a standard square waffle iron, and 9 in a round waffle iron.