Southern Style
Bacon, Apple, and Cheddar Waffles | 12 waffles
Cheddar cheese on top of a Granny Smith apple pie is a common southern combo. That little bit of cinnamon with the hot pastry and cheese really is delicious. It wasn’t until I was dipping a bacon, apple, and cheese sandwich in maple syrup that I decided waffles would work too. I’ve completely converted to sweet and savory waffles, and I’ve found that using whole strips of bacon provides a bit of all three flavors in every bite!
21⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
13⁄4 cups full-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, at room temperature and lightly beaten
11⁄2 cups rated extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Granny Smith apples
36 strips maplewood bacon
Maple syrup, for serving
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, and eggs. Add half of the flour mixture at a time to the buttermilk mixture and whisk the two mixtures until they are just combined. Don’t overmix your batter; a few lumps and streaks of flour are fine. Fold in the Cheddar cheese and apples. Let the batter rest for about 20 minutes.
Lightly spray a Belgian waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Place 3 strips of the bacon directly on the waffle iron. Close the waffle iron and cook the bacon for 4 minutes. Open the waffle iron and pour about 3⁄4 cup of the waffle batter over the strips of bacon. Close the waffle iron, flip it, and cook the waffle according to the manufacturer’s directions. My waffles cook for 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove the waffle from the waffle iron and place it in a pancake warmer or directly on a serving tray. Repeat the preceding steps with the remaining bacon and waffle batter, greasing the waffle iron with more nonstick cooking spray as needed. Serve the waffles with warm maple syrup.
Reprinted with permission from The Southern Baking Cookbook by Jenn Davis, Page Street Publishing Co. 2021. Photo credit: Jennifer Davis