An interesting twist on traditional waffles inspired by Japanese Taiyaki. Regular waffles are stuffed with peanut butter, resulting in a slightly different breakfast treat or snack with warm, gooey filling when eaten warm. Enjoy these Peanut Butter Waffles!
Malaysia was the place where my husband and I made up for 8 months of not going to the movies. In Thailand, we just never went, because nothing was playing in English. Luckily, Malaysia shows the newest Hollywood movies in English (although with Malay and some Chinese subtitles).
Mostly, the Malaysian theaters are located in shopping malls. On our way to buy tickets and popcorn, we make the most interesting food discoveries (like the little concession stall selling only macarons in front of the theater in Penang).
Southern Malaysia and Fish-Shaped Treats
When we were in Melaka in Southern Malaysia, we went to see Expendables 2. The theater was (like so often) located on the highest floor of the shopping mall. While we worked our way up with the escalators, a wall poster for these fish-shaped waffles caught our attention.
Despite the writing on the poster, I only learned later that these are called Taiyaki and are a Japanese dessert specialty. Traditionally they are filled with a sweet red bean paste.
Of the different sweet and savory options offered at this stall, a filling of peanut butter sounded most appealing to us.
And here is how it was prepared:
How It's Made
First, the attendant brushed some waffle batter into the cavity of a mold. Next, he filled it with a scoop of peanut butter, which he spread out a bit, before pouring more waffle batter on top. Then he closed the fish waffle iron and baked it for a couple minutes on each side.
And about five minutes later, we held our first, not so traditional, Taiyaki in our hands.
Using a Waffle Iron
The texture of the waffle is a little more crispy than the regular waffles we are used to. And the filling of warm, gooey peanut butter made this an absolutely delicious pre-movie snack.
Later, I had to think that one should be able to create a similar, filled waffle with a regular waffle iron. I once found a recipe for cream cheese-stuffed waffles, and I was entirely convinced that filled waffles at home are possible, and a thing. I wondered to myself about why I hadn't come across them sooner!
Of course, one could go ahead and buy this Taiyaki Waffle Iron from Amazon. It makes two fish-shaped waffles at once, but unlike other waffle irons, it has no independent heat source and is heated on top of a stove burner.
However, unless you are an absolute Taiyaki enthusiast, a regular waffle iron will also do. Here on Bali I have neither one available, so this is an adaptation of the recipe from Cheeky Kitchen.
Recipe
Peanut Butter Filled Waffles {Japanese Taiyaki} Recipe
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 cup peanut butter
For the Waffles:
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 ⅓ cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅔ cups milk
Instructions
Filling:
- If you like, you can whip the peanut butter with your mixer to make it creamy and fluffy, but it's optional
Waffles:
- Grease and heat waffle iron. With the mixer, beat eggs until light in color. Add sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Continue mixing until the batter is just combined. Fill about ⅛ cup of batter onto the hot waffle iron. Scoop about a tablespoon of peanut butter on top, cover with another ⅛ to ¼ cup of batter. Close the lid and let the waffles cook until golden brown.
Pin this Peanut Butter Filled Waffles {Japanese Taiyaki} tutorial for later?
Make It Whatever You Want!
Notes: You can also try all kinds of other waffle fillings. The options are endless.
Do you like your peanut butter paired with jam? Or try nutella, dulce de leche or cream cheese.
Maybe a savory filling is more up your alley? Try some tuna or ham and cheese or turkey and egg like they offered in Melaka.
Oh and by the way, for healthy grain free recipe try my coconut flour waffles.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
Feel free to browse these similar recipes for your inspiration!
Random Questions
Absolutely! The combination of warm, crispy waffles and gooey, flavorful peanut butter can create a delightful and satisfying treat. The rich, nutty taste of peanut butter complements the texture of waffles perfectly, making it a delicious and comforting choice for breakfast or as a snack.
To create dreamy peanut butter waffles, you can try incorporating a touch of vanilla extract into the waffle batter for added flavor. Additionally, you might experiment with drizzling some honey or maple syrup over the peanut butter waffles to enhance their sweetness and overall appeal. This can result in a delightful blend of flavors that can elevate your waffle experience to a dreamlike level.
Waffle batter typically contains more fat, which helps create a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. Additionally, waffle batter often includes a higher proportion of eggs, resulting in a richer texture and a more substantial structure. The consistency of waffle batter is also thicker compared to pancake batter, ensuring that the batter can hold its shape and form the characteristic grid pattern when cooked in a waffle iron.
Homemade waffles can turn out soggy if the waffle iron isn't preheated adequately or if the waffles are stacked on top of each other immediately after cooking. It's crucial to preheat the waffle iron properly to ensure that the batter cooks evenly and achieves the desired crispiness. Additionally, allowing the waffles to cool on a wire rack individually can prevent them from becoming soggy, as it helps maintain their crisp texture.
John
hye regina
Maybe they used the different flour with this type of taiyaki. i don't know. but i had send a message to the taiyaki expert. Hope i can receive a good news from her.
Yes i agreed with u. chewing a chips is not fun. A lot of research need to be done to solve this problem. Did you have any idea how to solve this problem? besides the weather problem that we can't control.
regina, if u are free lets come to MAHA 2012 on 23/11/2012. There a lot of Malaysian Food and Asian Food. This is the link to the event
http://www.maha.gov.my/2012/profile.html
Actually i wanna start my own taiyaki business. But with my lack of knowledge in F&B, it takes me to do more research about taiyaki. i wanna find an expert from Japan who can teach me how to make a good taiyaki, but there are lacking on language. About 10 japanese people i had send my question about taiyaki, but no one answer me 🙁
Regina
Sounds like an interesting show, John. But unfortunately I am not in Malaysia anymore, Northern Thailand now.
I sure hope you can find some English-speaking Taiyaki experts soon to help you out. All the best for your venture!
John
thank you very much. Actually one of them had text me back about the white taiyaki. She said that the white taiyaki was used only white egg, without yolk and tapioca flour for the texture. She also give me a link to find the flour. maybe u can "like" her fan page to know more about Japanese food =)
https://www.facebook.com/mosogourmet
it's ok regina, maybe next time. MAHA event is annually.
John
hye regina
i've already tried all their flavored. tasty when it's hot, but it was very flabby when getting cold. When the salesgirl told me there are promotion which is buy 5 free 1, i was very excited! hehehe. btw, did u have any idea how to make a good taiyaki? i mean what we can used make sure the taiyaki still crunchy even when it getting cold?
maybe u can check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kDBQ6Z3Hpc&feature=g-hist
it was so weird...the taiyaki was not tasty when it hot, but the uploader said the taiyaki is tasty when getting cold.
Regina
Hey John,
glad you found them. But I am really no Taiyaki expert. Only had them that one time in Melaka, when it was hot and crispy on the outside. Too bad they don't stay crispy. But since we are traveling Asia I noticed a lot of crispy food turns soft after a while. I think it has to do with the hot tropical humidity. All the cookies or chips we buy, we always have to make sure to close the bag very tight. Chewy chips are no fun.
Interesting video. I wonder why they are white?
John
hye
may i know which shopping complex did u go in malacca??
please reply me soon, i'm curious to know about taiyaki.
Or can email me,thank you.nice info.thanks for sharing!
Regina
John, we went to GSC Cinemas. So I am thinking the mall there is called Dataran Pahlawan. The Taiyaki place was just a few levels below the movie theater. Hope this helps.
John
Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it
John
i'm malacca-rian , but i don't know there are taiyaki shop in my hometown. i've done some research last night. They already opened their shop last month, and the originality of the shop are from Singapore. And they are first in Malaysia. If i didn't read your blog, i didn't know there are taiyaki shop in my hometown! i've been searched for them about 4 month.hehehe..thanks again for the nice info
Regina
Glad I could be of help, John. Hope you get to enjoy some Taiyaki soon. We certainly enjoyed ours 🙂