Do you know what day March 25th is? Only one of the best days ever: International Waffle Day. With all of its crooks and crannies, waffles are perfect when paired with warm maple syrup and melty butter, why would you want to mess with tradition?
Well, we're here to tell you that there are so many ways to break the waffle mold. Like an upgraded breakfast, a traditional sandwich turned on its head, new takes on leftovers and a breakfast turned dessert. Waffle anything from hashbrowns to pizza to brownies. Do you remember those George Foreman® waffle plates that have been hanging out in the back of your cabinet? Yea, they can actually be put to good use now with any one of our favorite waffle recipes below.
Banana Bread Waffles
There's just something about banana bread that gets us every time. So soft and perfectly sweet, we could eat it for breakfast almost every day. But today we're turning this classic into something even more spectacular, a waffle! For this particular waffle all you need to make is the banana bread batter. Then spoon into hot waffle plates. What you're left with is a crispy exterior, but a warm soft center. Top with extra banana slices, chopped walnuts (if you're a fan of nuts in your banana bread) and a drizzle of buttery syrup. Or take it to dessert level and top with gooey caramel sauce, our personal favorite.
Ham & Cheese Waffles
The ham and cheese sandwich is a timeless lunchbox staple. If the thought of it brings back happy childhood memories, then you're going to love it even more as a waffle! Where we're from, cheese reigns supreme, so we opt to use our favorite Wisconsin sharp cheddar to kick the waffle up a notch. Make sure it's finely shredded though. As much as you might love to use big chunks of cheese, clean-up shouldn't mean waffle plates with caked-on cheese curds (though quite delicious on their own!).
Whipped Goat Cheese Polenta Waffles
These waffles may sound extra fancy, but trust us when we say they're easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner your family will love. They're extra crispy on the outside, but bursting with creamy goat cheese flavor on the inside. Try making them instead of pasta one night and top with spaghetti sauce and meatballs. It may become your new favorite.
Waffled Mashed Potatoes
How many pounds of whole potatoes make how many servings of mashed potatoes? Since this conversion is difficult for us to wrap our minds around, we decided to utilize leftover mashed potatoes and turn them into a waffle. On the other spud hand, if you're really craving mashed potatoes but don't have any leftovers, just follow the recipe to make your own mashies at home. Then get to waffling!
Spaghetti Squash Bacon Waffles
Did we have you at bacon? Of course we did! Because who can resist that salty crunch? Spaghetti squash may sound like an odd ingredient to waffle, but this office favorite was one for the books. One very important step with this waffle is to squeeze out all of the moisture from the cooked spaghetti squash. We learned this the hard way through testing, and re-testing this waffle. If the water isn't removed, you'll end up with a soggy waffle; and no amount of bacon goodness can save a soffle (soggy waffle, anyone?).
Cinnamon Roll Waffles
While these waffles should technically be considered a breakfast item, right up there with the Banana Bread Waffles, we prefer them for a cinnamon-y sweet treat. In just four minutes you can have a tasty little dessert that only required you to plug in your George Foreman® with waffle plates. Unroll a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls, pop them on a (well) greased waffle plate and watch magic happen. Drizzle with the provided icing, and you just turned cinnamon rolls into waffles. Kids (and if we're being totally honest, you too) will be impressed that you just waffled a cinnamon roll, and they were soo good.
There you have it! Six new ways to waffle. Start using your George Foreman® waffle plates for more than just the traditional morning waffle. Experiment and find your favorites. What's your favorite food to waffle? We want to know!
