Bakin Kolač / Grandma’s Waffles

Now this recipe takes me back. The delicious smell as these cook is truly an experience. And the best part is, you don’t have to wait long to eat these amazing, soft, and comforting heart-shaped waffles. They cook up quickly and before you know it, you have a mountain of heart-shaped treats. Bakin Kolač has been around in my family for many years, and I’ve been eating them since I can remember. In all honesty, I haven’t made these in a long time just because I didn’t have the proper waffle maker. A traditional one won’t work, you need one for thin waffles, which are sometimes referred to as Scandanavian waffles. I looked online and ultimately ending up finding one that worked wonderfully.

This recipe is pretty straightforward. While my grandma only ever used vanilla sugar, I decided to add vanilla extract as well just for a little more vanilla flavor. And trust me, it makes such a difference. If you don’t have vanilla extract but have vanilla sugar, that’s fine as well, they will still be very good.

This recipe always brings back great memories for me. Everyone has a different waffle iron and everyone’s recipe is slightly different. What they all have in common though is that they’re sweet, dense, and make a wonderful vehicle for either delicious jam, Nutella, or Eurocrem. My husband’s preferred way to eat these is to spread some Nutella on 2 pieces and then sandwich them together. I remember my aunt making these on our last trip back home. Her waffle iron makes mini almost square-shaped versions and they were so delicious. It’s hard to have just one.

So go ahead and make this soon. Close your eyes as you take a bite and feel transported back to your grandma’s kitchen.

Looking for more sweet recipes? Check out the dessert section!

Bakin Kolač / Grandma’s Waffles

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: DessertCuisine: Serbian, Balkan

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

An old family favorite passed down for generations.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 3/4 cup (200 ml) oil

• 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) milk

• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (150 g) sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (1 kesica)

• 1/2 teaspoon (3 ml) vanilla extract, optional

• Pinch salt

• 1 tablespoon baking powder (1 kesica)

• 2 cups (270 g) all purpose flour

Directions

• In a mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed whisk the eggs until frothy. With the mixer still on, add in the sugar 1/3 at a time until all is incorporated and the mixture begins to thicken. Add in the vanilla sugar and vanilla extract. Continue whisking.
• Next, reduce the speed of the mixer one step slower, then slowly pour in the oil followed by the milk. At this point, turn off the mixer and add in the flour, pinch of salt, and baking powder. Stir around the bowl briefly so all the flour is not sitting on top of the mixture. Just use your mixer whisk for this. I do this to avoid a flour bomb.
• When the flour is safely incorporated with the liquid, turn on the mixer again, this time on medium speed, and whisk for 1 minute until there are no lumps. The batter should be very thick but still pourable. If the batter is too thick (not pourable/spoonable) then add a little bit more milk to it, a little at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.
• Set the batter aside and prepare your waffle iron. Turn it on and let it heat up, then spray it with oil and pour enough batter to cover the entire waffle iron surface. Close the waffle iron and wait for the waffle to cook.
• Repeat until you’ve used up all your batter.
• These are best enjoyed at room temperature.

Notes

• Use jams, jellies, Nutella, or Eurocrem to top your Bakin Kolač or simply dust with powdered sugar.
• These are best enjoyed at room temperature or cool.

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