7 Things To Make In Your Waffle Iron That Aren't Waffles
How often do you use really use your waffle iron? Every once in a while when the kids demand waffles? When you're cooking a special-occasion brunch? These recipes will make you want to leave your waffle iron out at the ready all week long because now waffle irons don't have to just be for making waffles.
These seven suggestions are perfect for people on the go looking for fast recipes that are as crazy good as they are easy. Most are semi-homemade and work best with store-bought doughs like cinnamon rolls, crescent rolls, puff pastry, and cookies from a tube (or otherwise premade). Be sure to spray the iron with cook spray before using to prevent sticking.
Ready to give it a try? From cinnamon rolls to pizza, to grilled cheese, these are sure to shake up your kitchen in the best way possible. Here are seven things you can make in your waffle iron right now.
Cinnamon Rolls
As any kid will tell you, waiting for cinnamon rolls to bake in the oven is just painful. Instead, put those bad boys in the waffle iron on the lowest setting and it will take a mere two minutes to cook them to yummy perfection. Plus, these treats are handheld, ready for an on-the-go breakfast, and taste great even without the frosting.
I recommend you use the store bought tubed version for these, but to make your own homemade cinnamon rolls, click here to find our favorite Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Roll Recipe.
Grilled Cheese
A textural delight, waffle iron grilled cheese brings the crispiness you love in a grilled cheese to the max. A plus: the pressed waffle segments can pull apart into little cheesy sqaures making perfect croutons to top tomato soup!
Click here to learn how to make the perfect grilled cheese!
Ham and Cheese Crescent Roll Sandwiches
The cinnamon rolls turned out so well, so why not try other tubed doughs? Lay crescent roll dough on the bottom of a lightly greased waffle iron and layer thinly sliced ham and a lslice of Swiss cheese on top. Next, cover with another sheet of crescent roll dough, and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. We guarantee this won't be the last time you make this.
Learn more by checking out this recipe for Ham and Cheese Croissants using packaged dough.
Deconstructed Pizza
Here's another kid-friendly go-to — quick pizza dough in a waffle iron. First, place a thin sheet of rolled pizza dough in the iron. Then sprinkle cheese and pepperoni over top. Top with another sheet of dough and pinch the edges together so the cheese won't leak out. When finished, you can cut the "pizza" into strips and dip it in marinara sauce.
Make your own pizza dough with this recipe!
Cookies
Sugar-cookie and snickerdoodle cookie dough are a blast to "bake" in the waffle iron. To make them even more indulgent, top these cookie-waffles with ice cream. Or you can cook them a little longer, until they are harder and a bit crispy, and use them to make ice cream sandwiches. (Note that this doesn't work so well with chocolate chips.)
For more, check out our favorite sugar cookie recipe, and our go-to snickerdoodle recipe,.
Parmesan Crisps
Set your waffle iron to the lowest setting and sprinkle a generous amount of shredded Parmesan cheese onto the surface. You don't have to close the lid: the heat from the bottom will slowly melt the parmesan and as the cheese becomes hard and crispy you'll get lovely Parmesan crisps that are delicious as an accompaniment to salads, soups, and dips.
Find our Quick and Easy Parmesan Crisp recipe here.
Mac and Cheese
There are many things you may not know about mac and cheese, but did you know it's pretty amazing when made into a waffle using a waffle iron? Grease your iron well with cooking spray or butter and add a big spoonful of prepared mac and cheese to a waffle iron to make crispy mac and cheese waffles. Adding scallions, jalapeños, or even lobster doesn't sound like a bad idea either.
Click here for our 25 Best Mac and Cheese Recipes.