Jen bought a waffle iron for me when I finished writing my undergraduate thesis, which was a horrid affair. While the gesture was sweet, I knew it was an appliance I wouldn’t use much. Ever since though, she’s tried to convince me that it’s not a dreaded “uni-tasker” by making me treats with it that I can’t possibly turn my sweet-snubbing-nose up at. These are one such waffle. They are crispy and just savory enough that they go well with a drizzle of maple sugar.

I know she won’t be ashamed if I tell you that we outright stole the idea from the Wafels and Dinges truck that’s been making its way around the streets of New York hawking delectable Belgian treats. If you can’t make it to the truck, as I don’t know of any others outside of New York, try our version of these waffles with a bit of powdered sugar and a drip of hot fudge. They still aren’t as good as the ones Wafels and Dinges sells, but they are pretty close. (On a separate note, if you can find the truck in your area, be sure to get a lèige waffle with speculoos spread which is like molten graham crackers).

Jen’s Recipe: Bacon Waffles

• 4 eggs, separated, room temperature
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup butter, melted & cooled
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
• 6-8 slices of bacon

1. Start by frying/microwaving the bacon in whatever way you prefer, until the bacon is slightly crispy. Set aside for later on paper towel.
2. Separate the egg yolks and whites, with yolks going into a large bowl and the whites going into a bowl with electric mixer access. Beat egg yolks and honey in a large bowl until light and somewhat fluffy. Mix in cooled, melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract.
3. Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat well, as this is the last chance to give the mix a good beating.
4. Meanwhile in a different bowl (preferably using an electric mixer), beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Gently fold them into batter with a spatula to prevent the fluffed egg whites from deflating.
5. Following the instructions for your waffle maker, preheat it and make sure to spray with a nonstick cooking spray before pouring any batter in. I prefer placing bacon on top of the batter rather than below it, because I found that when placing bacon on the iron first, it was more likely to get stuck to the iron and burn. If you want to put the bacon down first, I would suggest not cooking them as thoroughly beforehand to let the waffle maker give them their final crisp.

You can put pretty much whatever topping you want on these guys, including anything from maple syrup and powdered sugar to apple butter, hot sauce, or even gravy. And I know, beating the egg whites separately is a bit of a chore but seriously, the waffles come out so much lighter and crispier because of it!

Note: We’ve made these using both a deep-rutted conventional Belgian waffle iron and a thinner style iron (waffles pictured above). We liked the thinner waffle for this type of waffle as it was easier to ensure bacon throughout the waffle without having to worry about the deep imprints in the other iron. The thinner waffles also require less batter so the bacon to waffle ratio is more favorable to bacon lovers (and really, why would you make these at all if you weren’t a bacon lover?).