One of my family's all time favorite decadent breakfast treats when we eat out at a certain restaurant that may or may not be international and houses pancakes, is their New York Cheesecake Pancakes with strawberry topping. I am usually the girl who orders eggs, bacon, and hash browns with biscuits when we go out. Not the pancake girl. But I cannot help but order these every time we go there which isn't often enough. (And shhhhh... just zip it about the crazy number of calories in that breakfast, k? ;) )
My husband and I didn't do much for each other in the way of Christmas gifts this year, but I did have one lovely surprise waiting for me under the tree Christmas morning- a brand spanking new waffle maker!
Thus was born the idea for trying to recreate what they do so well with those cheesecake pancakes, but in waffle form.
What you will need:
For the cheesecake waffles:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened slightly (I used 1/3 less fat.)
1/2 tub of Cool Whip (I used Lite.)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
Enough waffle batter for 4-5 waffles (I used a box mix. You could also use your favorite homemade recipe.)
For the strawberry topping:
2 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla
Line a 9x9 glass pan with parchment paper, allowing a couple of inches of paper to hang off either side.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the Cool Whip, vanilla, and sour cream and beat until smooth and creamy.
Spread the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the entire top of the cheesecake with the graham cracker crumbs.
Place in the freezer overnight.
The next morning, whip up your waffle batter.
Take your frozen cheesecake and remove it from the pan using the parchment paper. Peel the parchment paper off and cut the cheesecake into bite sized squares.
When I originally made these, I just dumped all the cheesecake pieces into the batter and mixed them in. This was okay for the first two waffles, but by the third and the fourth most of the cheesecake bites had softened and were melting into the batter. If you like having the nice little chunks of cheesecake to bite into in your waffles, I would suggest to scooping out the batter you need for one waffle into a separate bowl and then mixing in 1/5 of the cheesecake pieces into the batter right before pouring it onto the waffle iron. Keep the remaining cheesecake pieces in the freezer until you are ready to make the next waffle and then just repeat the same process again.
While the waffles are "ironing", make the strawberry sauce to go over top of them. Combine the strawberries and the sugar in a small saucepan. Cover with 1/3 cup water. Heat until boiling. Turn down the heat.
Mix your cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Pour into the saucepan with the strawberry mixture and mix. Heat over medium heat for another 3-4 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Spoon some of the strawberry topping over your waffle and finish with a dollop of whipped cream. Happy brunching! :)
Which restaurant favorite would you all like to see me recreate in waffle form next? Come on now... I have this nifty new waffle maker, so you know there are more awesome homemade waffle recipes to come, right? ;)
Prep Time: Overnight
Cook Time: Approx 40 minute
(4-5 waffles)
For the cheesecake waffles
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened slightly (I used 1/3 less fat.)
- 1/2 tub of Cool Whip (I used Lite.)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- Enough waffle batter for 4-5 waffles (I used a box mix. You could also use your favorite homemade recipe.)
For the strawberry topping
- 2 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Line a 9x9 glass pan with parchment paper, allowing a couple of inches of paper to hang off either side.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the Cool Whip, vanilla, and sour cream and beat until smooth and creamy.
Spread the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the entire top of the cheesecake with the graham cracker crumbs.
Place in the freezer overnight.
The next morning, whip up your waffle batter.
Take your frozen cheesecake and remove it from the pan using the parchment paper. Peel the parchment paper off and cut the cheesecake into bite sized squares.
Scoop out the batter you need for one waffle into a separate bowl and then mix in 1/5 of the cheesecake pieces into the batter right before pouring it onto the waffle iron. Keep the remaining cheesecake pieces in the freezer until you are ready to make the next waffle and then just repeat the same process again.
While the waffles are "ironing", make the strawberry sauce to go over top of them. Combine the strawberries and the sugar in a small saucepan. Cover with 1/3 cup water. Heat until boiling. Turn down the heat.
Mix your cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Pour into the saucepan with the strawberry mixture and mix. Heat over medium heat for another 3-4 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
