Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles

One of my very favorite activities in the whole world is baking with my girls. One of their favorite activities in the whole world is consuming large quantities of chocolate chips while baking with their mother.

At the top of our list is banana chocolate chip waffles. These yummy little treats fill the entire house with the most delicious smells! These waffles are also really easy to adapt to change around flavors by using different add-ins or make a little healthier by playing with the type of flour or fats.

They also happen to freeze like a dream, so I make a lot and stick them in little baggies in the freezer. I pop them right into the oven, and they are ready to eat in minutes. Perfect for a special before-school breakfast!

*Recipe adapted from A Taste of Home

What you need:

2 sticks of butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons of vanilla

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 overripe banana

2/3 cups chocolate chips

Assembly:

Start by melting your butter and letting it cool completely while you get the dry ingredients going.

Then carefully measure out your flour.

Making sure you take turns if you have more than one little helper, ha ;) ;)

Then add your salt, sugar and baking powder.

Random little tip- crack your egg on the counter. This method avoids getting bacteria into your egg. Yuck!

Separate out your eggs, then whip the whites into oblivion until stiff peaks form. 

Definitely stop to sniff the vanilla. It's a must.

Then add your vanilla, milk, egg yolks and melted butter. 

Mix it all up with your electric mixer.

Fold the egg whites into the batter. Don't stir; you want to keep all of that air to make sure that your waffles are fluffy!

In a small bowl, mash your banana. Such a great activity for your little sous-chefs!

Here's Sweet Thing adding some blueberries some batter I separated out for her. She's much more of a waffle purist than her sister!

Back to the big batch- next add the chocolate chips with your spatula, using the same folding in technique.

Grease your heated waffle iron and drop 1/3 cup at a time.

Your waffle iron should let you know when your waffles are ready! 

Get a fork and dig in! No bite is too big for this girl!

Yum.

Remember, you can break these in half and freeze them for a perfect quick meal or treat!

What's your favorite kid-friendly breakfast?