Please. Take a few moments to dig through your kitchen cabinets to find your waffle maker. Please do this. I’ll wait.
….. There? Find it?
Now. Please. These waffles need to be made now, tonight, first thing tomorrow morning, or whenever you get hungry… now? They’re that good.
I need to go wash my hair. That’s not a euphemism for anything. I really need to wash my hair. By the time I come back, I hope you’ve preheated that old waffle machine.
Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles
every waffle iron is different, but this recipe feeds about 4 hungry waffle people
For the Bacon
10 slices of bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and line with foil. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Place in the upper third of the oven and bake until sugar is caramelized and bacon is brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately remove bacon slices using a pair of tongs. Place them on a cutting board (not paper towels, they’ll stick!) to cool before chopping. Once cool, chop the bacon into bite size bits and set aside.
For the Waffles
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cups canola or grapeseed oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
*If you don’t eat bacon for some reason, try adding 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter. Yum!
Set up your waffle iron on a level, clean surface and turn on to preheat.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold. Once almost fully incorporated, add the bacon bites. Stir. Try not to over mix the batter or the waffles will become tough. It’s ok if a few lumps remain in the batter.
Cook according to your waffle machine instructions.
Serve with maple syrup and strawberries.
Katie
I am currently making these waffles for the second time this week – first for guests at a bed & breakfast in Minnesota, and today for my aunt and uncle on Catalina Island. I’d like to take credit for all the flattering names I’m called when people first put these in their mouths (“goddess!” “Breakfast queen!” “My new wife?”) but I always defer to my mentor, Joy the Baker. Joy, thank you for blessing me with so many incredibly delicious, friend- and stranger-wowing breakfasts.