We started a new tradition with our little family last year since it was our first Christmas staying at our own house instead of being away traveling to visit family, and we wanted to do something special for breakfast on Christmas morning. We had these amazing waffles awhile ago from a popular restaurant in Salt Lake City where the owner is from Germany and makes these liege waffles that are unlike any other waffle you've ever had. So when we found a recipe for them and I tried them out for a party I hosted, we knew they'd be the perfect thing to make on Christmas morning that would be special and only something you make once a year [also because they are so indulgent that once a year is about all we can handle]. So the Santa Breakfast with waffles on Christmas morning became our new tradition and it's such a fun thing to look forward to. The only thing unusual about the ingredients for this recipe are pearl sugar which you can order online or find in specialty food stores. It also helps to have a belgium waffle maker that is deep enough because these waffles are made to be thick. We love using all the fruit and berries to layer on top of them with nutella or cookie butter and a dollop of whip cream then drizzled with homemade buttermilk syrup. It is almost like eating a dessert for breakfast they are so divine. They taste great with milk or even hot cocoa if you're feeling extra festive. These make such a fun Christmas breakfast that would be great at the beginning of the month as well to kick off December with your advent calendar like we did this year. We just got this cute one from Paper Source and I love the design of it. I added candy canes so the kids would have something to open each day and I also love the cute santa it comes with to move along from house to house until it makes it to ours. I also surprised the kids with their new Christmas pajamas to open so that they can use them all month long and enjoy them before Christmas. They were so excited to have new holiday jammies to wear for the special Santa Breakfast. Creating fun traditions and memories with your family are what I love about this time of year so I hope this helps to give you some ideas in creating your own. Happy First of December!

| LEIGE BELGIUM WAFFLE RECIPE |

INGREDIENTS

1 [.25 oz] package active dry yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

3/4 cup lukewarm milk

3 eggs

1 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups pearl sugar

DIRECTIONS

1 | Sprinkle the yeast and white sugar over warm milk in a small bowl. The milk should be no more than 100 degrees F. Let stand for 15 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.

2 | Whisk the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract into the yeast mixture until evenly blended; set aside. Stir together the flour and salt in a separate large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well, then stir in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Gently mix in the pearl sugar.

3 | Preheat your belgium waffle iron. Then place a baseball-size dough on the preheated waffle iron. Cook waffles until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. Allow waffles to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

[the dough can be made the night before and wrapped in plastic wrap then refrigerated overnight to save time in the morning]

TOPPINGS

Buttermilk syrup

Nutella

Speculoos Cookie Butter

Whipped Cream

Powdered Sugar

Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, or Bananas