Happy 2017!  Are you looking forward to a new year and a fresh start at things?  Or are you sad because 2016 was a great year for you and this one might be worse?  I for one am super excited, not really for anything in 2017, but because I got an awesome little mini waffle maker over Christmas!  I haven’t had homemade waffles since five years ago when my old waffle maker broke, but now my new waffle maker is adorable and portable and there are a ton of things I can’t wait to make with it!

This week I have a surplus of persimmons, and a handful of them have become overripe and mushy.  So I whipped up these mini persimmon waffles that make a great healthy breakfast.

.

One of my New Year’s resolutions probably every year is to eat a little healthier (and this year is also to eat more waffles ).  These delicious waffles are a good way to start the year, as they’re full of fiber and nutrients.  They’re made with fresh fruit, whole wheat flour, and wheat bran and contain honey in place of white sugar.

The batter for these is thicker than your typical plain waffle batter, closer to something like a cake or muffin batter.  They’re not quite as crispy on the outside, but they are super soft, fluffy, moist, and rustic.

I paired mine with some maple syrup, pecans, and fresh persimmon slices, but as with any waffle, you can serve these however you’d like.  You can top them with ice cream or mix nuts or raisins into the batter, and if you don’t have whole wheat flour, all-purpose will work fine too.  Even though I made mini waffles, you can easily make regular-sized waffles just by putting a larger amount of batter in your iron.

Whole Wheat Persimmon Bran Waffles     –     makes 8 mini (4-inch) waffles, or 4 regular-sized

– 1 cup persimmon puree
– 1/2 cup milk
– 1 cup wheat bran
– 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
– 1 egg
– 3 tbsp. honey
– 1 cup whole wheat flour
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/4 tsp. ground clove
– 2 tsp. baking powder
– 1/4 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, combine the persimmon puree, milk, and wheat bran and let it sit for 5 minutes to soak.  Mix in the vegetable oil, egg, and honey.  Sift in the whole wheat flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking powder, and salt and stir until smooth and combined.  Spray a preheated waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.  Ladle in 3 tablespoons of batter for a mini (4-inch) Waffle Maker, or 1/2 cup for a regular waffle maker, and cook until browned.  Repeat with the remaining batter.  Serve the waffles with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and nuts, if desired.