Strawberry Waffles

Before we became parents, Sunday mornings usually consisted of sleeping in and more often than not, going out for a late brunch, where I would order something containing eggs and potatoes and lots of cheese (and a Bloody Mary). These days, sleeping until 7:30 is late, Sunday morning breakfast is most often made by Sage, and the menu is dictated by our three year old. Pancakes and waffles are what he prefers, and since he's pretty darn cute, he usually gets his way.

We are heading into our peak strawberry season here in Florida, so I've been buying plenty as Beckett loves them. I thought a strawberry waffle would be fun thing to try. The recipe I went with was for plain waffle with a strawberry syrup, but we altered it to have the strawberries inside. Thanks to separating the eggs and folding in the beaten whites, these are super light with a perfectly crisp outside. They were so delicious, we were kicking ourselves for only making a half batch. Beckett was so crazy for these, Sage and I hardly got any. Since he doesn't usually have a huge appetite, we weren't complaining, but next time we'll make more!

Strawberry Waffles
adapted from Food Network, Emeril Lagasse
makes 5 (7 inch) waffles- half recipe

The only thing I would do differently next time (besides doubling this!) is instead of slicing the strawberries, I will chop them into small pieces, so they will be more throughout.

The original recipe called for whole milk. In it's place, I used vanilla coconut milk and omitted the vanilla extract. If you wish to use plain milk, just add 1/4 tsp vanilla along with the milk and melted butter.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 cup vanilla coconut milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sliced strawberries (next time I'll use about 1/2 cup chopped)
nonstick spray, if needed for iron
maple syrup, for serving

Preheat waffle iron. Next stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.

In a seperate larger bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar together until sugar is dissolved, using a fork. Add milk and melted butter and whisk until combined. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.

In a third bowl, beat egg whites using a mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Fold strawberries into batter, then fold in beaten egg whites, being careful not to over mix.

If neccesary, spray iron with cooking spray and pour enough batter to just cover iron. (Use a spoon to scoop strawberries from bottom of bowl if they settle.) Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, topped with maple syrup, if desired.