Let’s toast our bites with a touch of champagne as we kick-off a brand new year.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 4 t baking powder
• 1 1/4 t baking soda
• 2 T sugar
• 1 (1.2 oz.) dried strawberries, processed to a powder
• 5 T unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup champagne
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• berries + maple whipped cream*, for topping

* Beat together 1 cup heavy cream with maple syrup to taste.

Directions:

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and dried strawberry powder.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add milk and champagne and heat until mixture is warm. Whisk vanilla bean and eggs into the warm beer mixture. (If the champagne starts to curdle the milk, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer before mixing in with the dry ingredients.)
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Slowly pour wet ingredients into the well, whisking until smooth and barely any lumps remain.
4. Pour into a pre-heated, lightly greased Belgian waffle maker (a regular waffle iron will work fine as well). Cook until it’s done. Serve immediately with berries and maple whipped cream.

Don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of champagne!

[listwine id=46346]