When I asked Joe what he wanted for Easter brunch, I expected some hemming and hawing, but the boy flat out said “waffles” like he’d been thinking of it for ages.

I was a little surprised since our waffle maker has been in its box since we arrived in Utah and the only time we ever eat them is at my Aunt’s house. She’s the Waffle Queen and I’ve long said her waffle breakfasts are the only way to get us all together before 10:00am.

They are so, so good.

But it was my turn to try out a homemade batter and I only had one prerequisite in looking for a recipe: it couldn’t contain yeast. Yeast and I are still not on speaking terms after my puny Christmas Cinnamon Rolls.

Thankfully I didn’t have to look any further than my baking guru Joanne Chang, who owns the Flour bakeries in Boston. Her recipe promises super-rich, super-light, and super-crispy waffles. We had found our winner.

To make them extra special, I wanted to top them with bananas foster. (There’s nothing in the batter to make them bananas foster waffles, just the topping.)

We just made a big batch of the topping to pour over waffles, leftover waffles and anything else throughout the rest of the week. We used Alton Brown’s recipe, but I wasn’t thrilled with it in the end. A little too much rum and too much orange flavor. There are a ba-jillion recipes for bananas foster online. Find one that looks easy and use that one. As long as it has brown sugar, butter, hint of rum, and bananas, you’ll be fine!

Truth be told, I slather all pancakes and waffles with peanut butter. I always have. I thought having such an incredible topping would deter me from reaching for the familiar jar, but sure enough, a few bites in and I was getting up for that dang peanut butter. I just can’t do it. It’s a requirement for me. Good thing it goes so well with bananas foster.

The waffles themselves were dreamy. I like mine pretty brown, the crispier the better. Let them sit on a wire rack while you finish making the rest of the batter so the waffles don’t get soggy. You can also keep them on the same rack in a 200-degree oven.

We broke up the leftover sections to pop in the toaster for breakfast the next few mornings. They tasted even better, if that’s possible. The combination of the creme fraiche, soda water, and buttermilk in the batter really makes for some very, very delicious waffles. Try them out!

Decadent Sunday Waffles

Source: Flour, too

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 c. nonfat buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 c. creme fraiche
1/4 c. soda water, at room temperature
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For Serving: maple syrup, softened butter, bananas foster and/or…peanut butter

Preheat the waffle maker. The higher heat settings are better, because the outside of the waffle will crisp faster.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If necessary, break up the brown sugar lumps with your fingers to make sure everything is evenly mixed. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, creme fraiche, soda water, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into the well. Using a whisk and a folding motion, gently fold wet and dry ingredients together until combined.

Brush the preheated waffle grids with vegetable oil. Ladle the batter onto the bottom grid according to manufacturer instructions and close the lid. Be sure to bake the waffles until they are golden brown.

Bananas Foster Recipes:

Alton Brown

The Pioneer Woman

Paula Deen