Classic Belgian Waffles

I love breakfast - especially a sweet, dessert type breakfast! This is my last weekend before returning to work after my maternity leave. So this morning I woke up feeling like waffles. I pulled out my recipe, my waffle iron and I got mixing!

This recipe creates a light and fluffy waffle that tastes so good. And you can top it with whatever you want: maple syrup, strawberries and whipped cream with a dusting of icing sugar, nutella and bananas - the possibilities are endless!

My waffle iron makes 4 at a time, so this recipe will take you through about 3 rounds. I normally get 10-12 waffles, depending on how full I fill it each time.

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk

Directions:

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a second bowl using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, beat together egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add vanilla extract, melted butter and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine liquid mixture with flour mixture and whisk until just blended. Do not overmix!

In a third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Don't overmix!

Coat iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter into iron just to cover the waffle grid. (For mine, I'd put about 1/3 cup of batter for each square, but I'd place closer to the middle to avoid a lot of spillover!) Close and cook per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. (I set my iron to "3" or "4". Once it beeps the first time I open it up and close it again and let it beep a second time. This allows for a crispier and less soggy waffle.)

Serve immediately.

These waffles also freeze great so you can make them in large batches and pull them out whenever you want waffles for breakfast - just pop them in the toaster!