Make Strawberry Hearts for a Valentine’s Day Spin

To make these strawberry chocolate waffles extra special for a Valentine’s Day breakfast or brunch, add strawberries shaped into hearts for garnish. Making the strawberry hearts couldn’t be easier!

Some strawberries have a rounded bottom while others have a pointed bottom. For these strawberry hearts, choose strawberries with the pointed bottoms.

Simply, wash and pat dry several fresh strawberries. Each strawberry will provide two strawberry hearts. With a small knife, slice the strawberries in half vertically, from the stem down.

Next, take the knife and notch a small, inverted triangle into the top of each strawberry. It might be easier to turn the strawberry upside down (stem area facing down) and cut a regular triangle into the stem area. If necessary, shape the edges of the top of the strawberry to round them a bit.

Choose

strawberries with pointed ends for the best heart shapes.

Five Tips for Great Waffles in Your Waffle Maker

1) Don’t Use Cooking Spray - You may be tempted to spritz a bit of cooking spray onto the waffle maker grids. However, cooking spray can lead to build up on your grids which then can interfere with consistent cooking of waffles. It is best to use a batter which includes a proper amount of oil.

2) Start in the Center - When filling a waffle maker with batter, it is best to start with a small amount of batter in the center of the bottom grid and quickly spread the batter toward the outer edges with a rubber spatula. Add additional batter as needed to fill the grid. Do not overfill, otherwise the waffle batter may spill over the edges, making a mess on the outside of the waffle maker and on the counter.

3) Use Thick Batter - If your batter is too thin, the waffles may tear and stick to the waffle maker. Using a thick batter ensures the waffles will rise and bake to a fluffy consistency.

4) Watch Your Machine - Keep an eye on the heat of the waffle machine. While many waffle makers use automatic timers for preheating and cooking, there are still some models out there that require a closer watch. Also, if you are making back-to-back batches of these waffles, you may need to add or remove a bit of cooking time, since the machine has been heating for an extended period of time. Your machine might not put out as much heat after the third or fourth use. On the contrary, your machine might cook the last rounds faster after being turned on for a while. Keep a close eye so you don’t have overcooked or undercooked batches.

5) Clean Waffle Maker Thoroughly - After each cooking session, be sure to clean your waffle maker thoroughly to prevent old crumbs and other build up from leading to flawed batches of waffles during your next waffle-making session.

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