ah, sugar sugar

I think I may have started a dangerous obsession. Waffles.

I forget how it came up (perhaps the Food Network?), but when Matty's parents were in town a couple weeks ago, we lighted on the subject of waffles de Liege - both the delicious, sugary waffles and the food truck from which I tasted them for the first time months ago. I made tentative plans to take them to the truck one day, but I got sent out of town, and they never went before they headed home.

This Christmas, we were given explicit instructions to not purchase any gifts. Never one to be terribly good at heeding parental instruction, I snuck a waffle maker into my checked luggage, had Amazon send the required Belgian pearl sugar to their house, and we woke up early this morning to cook them on the sly before everyone got up. It's only the 22nd - not technically a Christmas gift.

And these waffles were worth the Christmas gift admonitions, the hour-long rise time, everything. They were transcendent. So, so sweet, buttery, crisp, chewy. I mean, we should have made extra and froze them. They make a bit of a mess in the waffle maker - all that butter and caramelized sugar - so making extras for later would have better amortized the cleaning time. Next time.

Liege Sugar Waffles
adapted from Whipped

1/4 oz. package yeast
1/3 c. lukewarm water
1 1/2 T. white sugar
1/8 t. salt
2 c. flour
3 eggs
8 oz. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 cup Belgian pearl sugar

1. Mix the yeast, water, sugar and salt in a bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes.

2. Place the flour in the bowl of a mixer. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the melted butter a bit at a time, and then the vanilla and cinnamon. The batter will be thick and very sticky.

3. Let the dough rest until it has doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Gently fold in the pearl sugar and let the dough rest for 15 more minutes. While the dough is resting, heat the waffle maker.

4. You'll have to play the rest of this by ear depending on what kind of waffle maker you have. If you have a Waring Pro Double Belgian Waffle Maker, set the level to 4 and fill each quadrant with a scant 1/4 cup of dough. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until waffle is browned to your taste. Serve immediately.