Glazed Waffle Cookies
One of my best buds only eats waffles when she’s very happy. (“We need waffles—I got the job!” or, “It’s so nice out today, we should get waffles.”) So I created this recipe for her—and for anyone else looking for a little happy in their day; it’s super-fast and easy. If you want to get fancy, you can make a few different fruit glazes to tint your cookies with different colors and flavors.
Makes 55 small cookies
Difficulty: Easy
Make Ahead and Storage: The glazed cookies will keep airtight for up to 3 days. The glaze keeps them from going stale at first, but it begins to break down after a few days.
- Cookies
- 113 g / 4 oz / 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 99 g / ½ cup granulated sugar
- 53 g / ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 113 g / 2 large eggs
- 5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 g / 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 g / ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Glaze
- 120 g / ¾ cup fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, or a combination)
- 25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 228 g / 2 cups powdered sugar
1. Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Lightly grease the iron with nonstick spray. Keep the spray handy and occasionally reapply it between batches.
2. Meanwhile, make the cookie batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate each one. Beat in the vanilla.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold into the butter mixture, mixing just until fully incorporated.
4. Working in batches, use a #60 / 1-tablespoon scoop or spoon to place 1-tablespoon mounds of batter onto the center of the preheated waffle iron, then close the iron. Bake the cookies until golden on both sides and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the iron and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cool completely.
5. Make the glaze: Combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan; bring the mixture to a simmer and cook over medium heat until the berries break down, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to crush the berries. When the berries are very soft and have released their juices, strain the juices through a strainer set over a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature.
6. Add the powdered sugar to the juice and whisk until a smooth glaze forms.
7. One at a time, dunk the cooled cookies into the glaze, shake off the excess glaze (glaze that pools in the nooks and crannies won’t set very well), and invert the cookies onto a wire rack—the glaze will set in 10 to 15 minutes.
✻ Why It Works
A waffle iron applies direct, even high heat to the batter. The result is a cookie with all the same pros as great waffles—crisp on the outside and slightly soft inside—but just cookie-er.
★ Pro Tip
The glaze recipe makes more than you need, but it’s great to have on hand— lovely on scones, muffins, doughnuts, cupcakes, or sugar cookies. Store extra glaze in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature and stir before using again. If it dries out, thin it with water, milk, or cream.