Copy Desk Cookoff: Red Velvet Waffles

There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning to a delicious breakfast feast. Every morning I get out of bed dreaming of chocolate chip pancakes drenched in real Vermont maple syrup, steaming scrambled eggs covered in cheese complimented with a colorful bowl of mango and pineapples on the side. I know, I dream big.

I was sitting bored and hungry in my prison of a dorm room when my recipe for Red Velvet Waffles was born.

The first ingredient in my secret recipe is a box of red velvet cake mix. Preheat your waffle iron (yes, you need one of those) to a medium-high heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Following the instructions on the back of the box, mix the ingredients of the batter into a large mixing bowl. Scoop about 2 cups of the batter — I like my waffles big and fluffy— and pour it onto one of the irons square panels and cook it for about five minutes. Yes, it’s that easy … so far.

For the cream cheese icing drizzle, you will need: 4 oz. of cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, salt and milk. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, ¾ cups of sugar, ½ teaspoon of vanilla and just a pinch of salt. After those are mixed together to your satisfaction, whisk in about ¼ cups of milk (more if you like it extra creamy). Simple, right?

The last thing I like to add to my waffles is a red berry salad topping, because I am a fruit fanatic and, after this meal, I like to pretend I had something healthy. This part of the recipe is relative to your tastes in fruit, but I like mine very specific. The first thing I do is to slice 2 cups of fresh, red strawberries (oh yes!). I then mix in one cup of ripe raspberries and a ½ cup of pomegranate seeds. I top that off with about one tablespoon of sugar for extra sweetness.

On the finished plate, you will have one thick and fluffy Red Velvet Waffle, drizzled with creamy cream cheese icing and topped with a pile of fresh fruit. Too good to be true, right? But believe me, it is true and just as amazing as it sounds. The recipe is, as my good friend Rachael Ray says, delish!