Egg Nog Waffles (but healthy!)

Eggnog is one of the quintessential holiday beverages that you love to drink.  Unless your my hubs.  He is not a nogger, much to my nog-loving disappointment.  We hadn't even purchased any the past two holiday seasons.  So this year I was not letting eggnog pass me by once again.  We bought a carton and I have been drinking small glasses of this thick, creamy beverage and pondering just how I could trick the hubs into loving egg nog enough to welcome it into our home annually.  And my way to his inner nog-lover was through one of our favorite breakfasts...waffles.

These suckers are good.  Inside the crisp, toasted exterior lies a soft and fluffy waffle with the extra richness and spice of egg nog.  A hint of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla along with a subtle sweet eggy flavor make for a terrific Christmas-y breakfast.  The hubs went wild about these waffles topped with maple syrup, along with our neighborhood food-testers (ahem, med student buddies).  I am more of a fruit topping gal, and loved mine with homemade cranberry preserves.

Now I am kind of a picky waffle eater.  But completely by choice.  If I could, I'd eat every waffle under the sun topped with fruit and balloon up to be a very happy Mrs. Clause-looking character.  But as I am still in my late 20's I have decided to hold off on the Mrs. Clause figure until I am a more grandmotherly age.  So I pick healthy, homemade waffles rather than buttery, restaurant waffles.  With whole wheat flour, egg whites and applesauce, my Wonderful Whole Wheat Waffles recipe is good enough to satisfy the hubs, yet healthy enough to eat on a bi-weekly basis.  All that I did here was swap egg nog for my typical buttermilk and adjust the leavening agents accordingly.  

These take about 5 minutes to whip up and another 5 to waffle up.  They're an excellent way to use up any remaining egg nog or trick someone into liking it for the first time.  Ha-ha!

Whole Wheat Egg Nog Waffles (about 6-8 waffles)

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 2 tbs cornmeal (optional; if used reduce flour by 2 tbs)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 1 tsp sugar or 1/2 tsp Truvia (or other sugar substitute)
• 4 egg whites
• 2 c egg nog (we used reduced fat)
• 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Plug in your waffle maker and turn the heat to medium-high and pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.  Once the oven reaches 200, you can turn it off (this is just to keep the waffles warm).

Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and set the bowl aside.  

Crack the egg whites into a medium bowl and whisk lightly.  Add in the egg nog, applesauce and vanilla, then whisk until smooth.  Pour the egg nog mixture into the well of the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  If the batter seems a little thick, just add a bit more egg nog.  Cook until golden, then transfer to a plate or cookie sheet in the oven to stay warm while the other waffles cook.  Serve with your favorite toppings and yule-tide cheer.