Sugar Waffles

Recipe by PJ Hamel
9 Reviews 4.8 out of 5 stars

Sweet, crunchy, buttery ... These waffle cookies are a traditional treat in Belgium, where street vendors cook and serve them to delighted aficionados. Despite their traditional waffle appearance, understand that these are cookies, rather than something you'd put on a plate and drizzle with maple syrup for breakfast. And given they're cookies, they're very pretty made in an American-style (shallow-grid) heart-shaped waffle iron.

Prep
10 mins
Total
1 hr 6 mins
Yield
25 to 30 sugar waffles
Sugar Waffles

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Preheat a greased waffle iron. For best results this should be an American-style iron, whose grid is shallower than a Belgian-style.  

  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, and salt.

  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until well combined. Stir in the coarse sugar crystals.

  5. Pour a scant half-cup of batter onto the preheated waffle iron, or however much batter your iron takes to barely fill it completely. Cook the waffles until they're a deep golden brown; this takes about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on just how brown you like them. Don't underbake; they should be crisp when they cool.

  6. Open the waffle iron, and use a flat spatula or a couple of forks to transfer the waffle (which will be quite tender) to a rack to cool. The waffles are very delicate right out of the iron, so expect a few to tear.

  7. When the waffles are cool enough to handle, use a pair of scissors to cut them into pieces. Allow the waffles to cool completely, for maximum crispness.

  8. Store, well-wrapped, for two weeks at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

  • A heart-pattern iron makes attractive cookies, but any kind of standard American (not Belgian) waffle iron will do.

  • If you're very coordinated, you can avoid having to lift the waffle out of the iron by picking up the waffle iron and gently flipping the waffle out onto the rack.

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