There are so many things to love about waffles. The sweet, buttery flavor. The texture: soft on the inside, golden brown and crispy on the outside. And oh, those deep waffle pockets! Once you fill them with more butter, syrup, and a little whipped cream — well, the waffle pretty much melts in your mouth.

A little warm fruit and syrup always makes waffles feel extra special, like brunch at your favorite neighborhood spot. So we’ve topped our waffles with a warm apricot-walnut foster. In the pan, the fruit stays bright and juicy, so it tastes very fresh. It’s such a nice contrast with the warm maple syrup and sweet, crunchy walnuts.

Our tip: Waffles are a great project to do with the kids. They can use all their measuring, dumping, and stirring skills — and you can teach them how to stare longingly at the iron as the waffles cook. Is the light green or red?

Servings: 4

Ingredients You'll Need:

2 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

½ tsp white wine vinegar

½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil

2 cups flour

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

Cooking spray

Apricot-walnut foster (recipe below)

Whipped cream, optional

How to Make Waffles:

1. Preheat the waffle iron.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vinegar, and oil until smooth.

3. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

5. Gently pour the egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and fold them together until incorporated. You’ll have a slightly lumpy batter.

6. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter — stop when they are just combined.

7. Spray the waffle iron with the cooking spray.

8. Pour about 1 ¼ cups of the batter into the waffle iron and cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Repeat until all batter is gone. Note: Don’t be polite, eat the waffles hot. If you must wait, heat the oven to 250º and warm the waffles on a sheet pan in a single layer. The longer the waffles sit, the more steam they lose — and the less crispy they will be.

9. Serve the waffles warm with butter, a scoop of apricot-walnut foster (recipe below), and a dollop of whipped cream.

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Apricot-Walnut Foster

Ingredients

¼ cup walnuts, chopped

4 Tbsp butter

3 fresh apricots, sliced

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

⅛ cup dark rum

Directions

1. In a medium sauté pan, toast the walnuts over medium heat.

2. Add the butter and allow it to melt.

3. Add the apricots and sauté the mixture for about 1 minute.

4. Add in the brown sugar and toss to coat the nuts and fruit.

5. Add the maple syrup and toss to coat the nuts and fruit again.

6. Add the rum and bring all of the ingredients to a simmer.

7. Remove the topping from the heat, and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes.

8. Serve the topping warm over waffles or pancakes. The topping will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days in an air-tight container. Warm it before using.

Calculate nutrition information for this recipe.