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These black forest waffles are everything you love about the classic dessert rolled into a decadent breakfast treat. Dark chocolate waffles topped with fresh whipped cream and a homemade cherry sauce... What's not to love about this summery dish?

Summer just isn't summer without a little cherry season goodness.

Between the strawberry shortcake cupcakes and the no-bake strawberry margarita cheesecake, you probably thought strawberry season was my jam.

And, really, if we're being honest, I'm an equal opportunity berry-filled dessert enthusiast.

But I'm sorry strawberry season, it's just hard to beat the decadent, chocolate-filled potential of cherry season.

I mean, have you SEEN these black forest waffles? We're talking a crispy stack of dark chocolate waffles topped with fresh whipped cream and a homemade cherry sauce.

Step aside strawberry season, cherry season IS. HERE.

How to make black forest waffles

First, make the cherry sauce.

Slice and pit your cherries. Place the cherries in a medium-size sauce pan with the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Give everything a good stir.

Cook the cherries over medium heat until tender.

In a small bowl, combine your cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water. Stir until all the lumps are gone.

Pour the cornstarch into the cherry sauce, whisking continuously. Cook at a low boil for another 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Second, make the dark chocolate waffles.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the waffles (flour, baking cocoa, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda). Create a well in the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and egg yolks. Pour the mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, and whisk together until just combined.

Melt the chocolate and gently fold it into the waffle batter.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the waffle batter until just combined.

Pour the batter into a preheated waffle iron and cook until crisp.

Finally, whip the whipped cream and assemble your waffles.

In a medium-size bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream onto your waffles and top with the cherry sauce.

For an extra decadent treat, you can add extra pieces of chocolate or chocolate sauce.

Tips for making perfect waffles

Melting chocolate: There are two common methods for melting chocolate. 1. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. 2. Melt chocolate in a microwave using 10 second increments until the chocolate stirs smooth. Be sure to stir the chocolate between each 10 seconds to keep it from overheating and seizing up.
Buttermilk substitute: Don't have buttermilk on hand? You can make your a substitute by stirring 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of white vinegar into the 2 cups of milk OR stirring ½ cup milk together with 1 ½ cup plain yogurt.
Making waffle batter in advance: Waffle batter made with egg whites can be made up to 4 hours in advance. To store, simply cover it and keep it refrigerated.
Keeping waffles warm: Stacking freshly cooked waffles with result in soggy waffles. To keep them warm and crisp, place them directly on the rack of an oven preheated to 250F.
Storing leftover waffles: If you want to make your waffles ahead or store any leftovers, cooked waffles can be kept in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, simply bake them at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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