Rye Flour Ricotta Waffles with Whipped Maple Cream Cheese

A wise person once suggested that you should not keep kitchen equipment that is only good for one thing.  I love that, but I’ve made a special exception for waffle makers, which allegedly are only good for making waffles (although I beg to differ because have y’all tried making cinnamon rolls in a waffle iron?? It’s heavenly).

Can you believe that there people out there who do not think of a waffle maker as a kitchen staple?  Perhaps it’s the millennial in me, but I just love my waffle maker and I love trying different waffle recipes.  This one here is a gem.

Rye Flour & Ricotta Waffles make for the perfect breakfast and they don’t take long to make.  My favorite part is the sweet cinnamon smell that generously fills kitchen while the waffles cook.

All About Rye Flour

Rye flour is made from ground rye berries and tends to be heartier and denser than all-purpose flour.  It’s a pretty good source of fiber and other nutrients, like magnesium and B vitamins. It’s also naturally low in gluten, like spelt flour.  I used dark rye flour for this recipe, but rye flour also comes in a light variety that can be used instead.

I love the rye flour paired with the whole wheat flour.  It makes for a robust breakfast. With the added protein of the cream cheese, eating these makes for a more balanced brunchy treat.

Ricotta Cheese, Please (& Other Substitutes)

The ricotta cheese is what keeps these waffles fluffy and soft, even while using denser flours like rye and whole wheat.  You don’t necessarily taste the ricotta cheese, but it adds a perfect amount of richness.  If you don’t have ricotta on hand, you can substitute with whole milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt. Basically, if you have of these things in your fridge, you have no excuse not to make these.

Mixing the Waffle Batter

I often opt for hand mixing waffles (and pancakes) because over mixed batter is a cardinal sin when it comes to waffles.  I find it very easy to over mix when using an electric mixer and hand mixing waffle batter is not so terrible.  For this recipe, I mix the wet ingredients together adding the eggs last.  One the wet ingredients are mixed, I fold it into the flour mixture (fold, not mix).  The batter will be very thick and that’s okay. That’s exactly what we want.

The Waffle Iron

See above for my ode to waffle irons.  I’ll spare you another spiel.  Let me just take a moment to emphasize that every waffle maker is different.  The variance is so real. You’ll likely need to adjust the amount of batter you add for each waffle and the cook time depending on your waffle maker – you know best.  I used a Belgian waffle maker that makes four 4-inch square waffles per batch.  If you’re using the circle kind, you’ll need to adjust. For a full batch, my waffle maker took about 3-4 minutes to cook, but I went by the green-light indicator.  Play around with it and start with a test waffle if you truly care (or if you’re making these for potentially judge-y company).

These waffles are a perfect mixture of crispy and chewy and nutty and sweet, but not too sweet. I think the whipped cream cheese adds the perfect sweet, creamy, and slightly tangy topping.  I added crushed walnuts for texture and served with a drizzle of maple syrup.  To keep the waffles warm before serving, store waffles on a baking sheet or oven-safe plate in a 200-degree oven.