Savory Cheesy Cheddar Waffles

I’m sorry. I know I’m supposed to be posting green smoothies and vegetable-heavy salads, but after making these game-changing waffles, it would be wrong for me not to share with you.

As I mentioned in my pancake post I’m definitely a savory breakfast girl. Andrew and I got a waffle maker last year, and ever since I’ve been experimenting with all types of waffles. This recipe has gotta be one of my favorites. It is super easy to put together, and only requires a few ingredients. The result is a cheesy, salty, and crispy waffle. I added an over-easy egg and let the yolk be my syrup…just yes.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and get your waffle maker heating up while you make the batter.

Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and egg.

Add the wet to the dry. And then mix in the melted butter and cheddar cheese until just incorporated. It will be a bit lumpy – that’s okay. I really recommend grating your own cheese (for any recipe), and for this one I used an aged, sharp cheddar, which was just right.

Spray the pan more than you think you need to.

I used a scant half cup of batter for each waffle (just shy of filling a 1/2 cup measure), which just filled the waffle maker, (and a bit running off the edge). I swear it is basically impossible to get a full waffle without some batter dripping off the side, so I just went with it. Also, don’t be alarmed if there is a lot of steam…it’s normal.

Let the waffle cook until the light turns green (or whatever your indicator is). I had mine on the 4 minute setting. You may be tempted to take a look midway through cooking. DON’T DO IT. I learned the hard way, and instantly split my waffle in half. Just let the waffle maker do the work.

When it’s ready, it will be a fairly dark brown and very crispy. Perfect.

Place onto baking sheet in the warmed oven. Continue until all 4 waffles have been made. Waffles can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for a day or in the freezer for up to one month.

You can eat it as-is, or with a yolk-broken-over-easy egg (which I would certainly recommend!).

Adapted from Chow

Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: about 20 minutes, Total: 30 minutes

Makes: 4 waffles (scant 1/2 cup of batter per waffle)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese
4 over-easy eggs for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and get your waffle maker heating up.

Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and egg.

Add the wet to the dry. And then mix in the melted butter and cheddar cheese until just incorporated.

Spray the waffle maker more than you think you need to.

Using a 1/2 cup measure, filled just short of full, add the batter to the waffle maker.

Let the waffle cook according to the waffle makers instructions (I set mine on ‘4’). Leave it be!

When it’s ready, remove, and place onto a baking sheet into the warmed oven. Continue until all waffles have been made. Waffles can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for a day or in the freezer for up to one month.

Serve with over-easy egg and devour with a cup of milky coffee.