Red, White and Blue Waffles by Erica

Growing up, my family had a wonderful tradition: Red, White, and Blue Waffles for the 4th!

At the beginning of July, my mom’s strawberry plants were still producing delicious, juicy fruit, and blueberries were coming into full season. I’m not sure which of my family members had the idea to combine these seasonal berries along with whipped cream for a patriotic breakfast, but it was brilliant. We always looked forward to this special treat.

 
 

You can definitely make your favorite waffle recipe if you like, but I provided you with a really good, classic buttermilk waffle recipe. I experimented a bit with the ingredients and decided that I like the waffles with a touch of sweetness. It brings out all of the other flavors nicely.

Am I the only one that gets the urge to eat a scoop of waffle batter?

 
 

These waffles cook well on a medium-high-ish setting. I like to bump the dial on my waffle maker a biiit past the middle.

 
 

These (like any other waffle) are really best served piping hot from the waffle iron. If you foresee that you won’t be able to eat all of the waffles fresh, make sure to undercook a few of them. That way, when you re-heat them in the toaster, they won’t get burned.

 
 

Now for the best part: the toppings!

For most waffles, I HAVE to start with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. No compromises.

I personally like my strawberries just sliced, but if you like to sweeten them up with a bit of sugar (that’s how my husband likes them), feel free to do so!

I also don’t like to mess with the blueberries because I think they’re prettiest when left alone. But you could totally make a sauce with frozen blueberries if that’s all you have on hand.

For the whipped cream, go for the real stuff: homemade! I like to sweeten mine with a glug of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla extract. Mmmm. I love whipped cream.

You can assemble your waffles any way you like. As a kid I tried to make my waffle into the shape of a flag. These days I just heap the berries and whipped cream on top.

 
 

Ugh. Get in my face!

 
 

These waffles are such a fun way to start out your Independence Day celebrations. Although, to be honest, we totally eat these for supper sometimes. No shame.

 
 

I’m so happy to be carrying on this 4th of July waffle tradition with my little family. I think my kids are pretty stoked about it too.

I hope y’all have an awesome 4th of July! Do you have any plans for celebrating the day?