With Mother’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to ask yourself: Is the mom in your life on team waffles or pancakes?
My family knows I’m a waffle mom. I can’t resist the crunchy, cuplike divots holding loads of maple syrup, the soft interior still steaming from the hot iron. And, genius that she is, here comes Yewande Komolafe with a tantalizing new recipe for chocolate waffles (above) that look like the perfect brunch dessert (yes, that’s a thing) to follow my requisite bagels and lox. Made with a mix of cocoa powder, dark brown sugar and buttermilk, they’re complex and tangy-sweet when topped with fresh berries, and even sweeter with a drizzle of the optional chocolate sauce.
Featured Recipe
Chocolate Waffles
Savory people needn’t feel left out, because Yewande’s also got a recipe for toasted sesame and scallion waffles that get extra crispy corners from the grated cheese (Parmesan, pecorino or white Cheddar) folded into the batter. A runny-yolk fried egg topping is the move here.
And we’re not done, because then there are her buckwheat blueberry waffles — nutty, fruity and fluffy from the beaten egg whites, just glorious with a little butter and honey. Wafflers, fittingly enough, will have some tough decisions to make!
And the pancake mamas? We’ve got options for them, too. Golden cornmeal blueberry pancakes are easy to throw together, but they make for a super-deluxe breakfast in bed paired with coffee, oven bacon cooked extra crispy, and some pretty flowers. If you’re going to do room service, you may as well put on the ritz.
Whatever special breakfast or brunch you have in mind for this Sunday, you’ll find tons of help and inspiration at New York Times Cooking. You’ll want to subscribe to read all the recipes, and — just putting it out there — a gift subscription would make a fantastic present for Mom. If you need any technical help, say with printing or logging in, the smart folks at cookingcare@nytimes.com can help. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to send me a note.
Sweet and Spicy Bacon Upgrade
Oven bacon on its own is delightful in its porky minimalism. But for a sweet and spicy variation, brush a little maple syrup on the slices and sprinkle them with chile powder before baking. They come out lightly candied, with a bite.
