Belgian Sugar Waffles

Inspired by Paul's Belgian waffles I tried a few versions and I like these the best.  I also tried making them with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and that was good, too.  Yes, I realize that makes it not very Belgian since pumpkin is a new world food.

It's great with a little buttermilk syrup.

These aren't just for breakfast, they can be dessert waffles topped with ice cream.  I have a waffle stick waffle iron that works well for them, you can eat them with your fingers and dip them. 

I just got a fancy (used of course $15) Krups removable plate, flip, Belgian waffle iron--it is THE BEST thing to make these waffles with!  The removable plates make clean-up SO MUCH EASIER and after one false start when every recipe I saw said to cook the waffles for 4 1/2 minutes on 6 (highest level) I found they are perfect at level 4 for about 2 1/2 minutes.  In the picture the waffle on top is with the Krups inversion waffle maker, you can see some of the waffle sticks below where I didn't get the fill quite right.

Here is the link to the original blog post: 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/belgian-sugar-waffles-428321?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons

Here is the recipe and directions:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sugar (light brown)
• 1/2 cup water (lukewarm, or for richer flavor substitute scalded milk)
• 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of butter (melted)  [I often double it because I usually make it for a crowd and IF there are leftovers they are great, so I will do a mixture of butter and oil--because I just can't do a full pound of butter in anything!--and I am finding that I can reduce the amount of fat and it still works fine.]
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pearl sugar

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Whisk the brown sugar and yeast with the water and let stand for about 5 minutes, until it is nice and foamy.
3. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. [I do it in my KitchenAid stand mixer.] Gradually add in the yeast mixture until the dough is sort of dampened and shaggy looking.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.
5. Whisk the vanilla in the butter and add to the batter gradually. Mix for about 1 minute or until smooth. It will be very sticky and have a thick, but not a stiff texture. Cover and let rise for about one hour.
6. Right before you are ready to cook the waffles, mix in the pearl sugar. If you add it too early it will dissolve and will not create that crispy coating.
7. Using two spoons [I use a scoop], pull off about 2 tablespoons worth of batter and place onto a preheated waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.
8. Place on a cookie cooling rack over a sheet pan. Keep warm in a preheated 250 F oven.
9. Drizzle with chocolate sauce if you're feeling saucy and serve warm.