When on vacation in Hawaii last year, Anil and I ate these amazing coconut pancakes at a cozy breakfast place on Waikiki beach. The pancakes were actually just regular once you could get at iHop but they came with this fabulous coconut syrup that I could almost drink! That breakfast inspired me to whip up these pina colada waffles…I added pineapple into the mix because coconuts and pineapple are obviously a natural fit. The thing I love about this recipe is that it’s not too sweet, yet it satisfies your sweet tooth. You do need a waffle maker for this recipe. If you need any recommendations, let me know, but I have the Waring Pro Professional Belgian Waffle Maker and it’s fabulous! You can find it on Amazon or Macys.com, in addition to other sites. A waffle maker is a great investment, in my opinion, because it’s pretty easy to use if you buy the right one and is awesome for entertaining. This recipe doesn’t take long to make at all, so get out a bowl or two and get ready for a wonderful spring brunch!

Ingredients (for 2 people, yields about 2.5 to 3 waffles)

For the waffles:

2 cups of Bisquick Hearth Healthy mix
1 1/3 cup of milk – preferably skim or 1%
1 egg
2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil
2 teaspoons of coconut extract

For the pina colada topping:

One 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained, or fresh pineapple
About 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons of light sour cream
1/2 cup of sweetened coconut flakes
A splash of milk

Directions

1. Add the Bisquick mix to a large bowl and make a small well in the middle. Add the egg, milk, and oil to the middle of the dry mix and mix everything together until smooth.

2. Mix in the coconut extract and set the batter aside.

3. Drain the pineapple, or cut fresh pineapple into small tid bits.

4. Add the condensed milk and sour cream and mix together with the pineapple. You want to make sure that the mixture does not get too liquidity, so use your judgment when adding the splash of milk.

5. Toss in the sweetened coconut flakes and set aside.

6. Bake the waffles on your favorite setting. They should be golden brown, slightly crispy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside.

7. Top the waffles with the pina colada topping, serve immediately, and enjoy!

If you really want to be adventurous, you can try adding a shot or two of coconut rum to the topping. This will make your topping a bit more watery, so you do need to be careful about how much you add. I haven’t tried this yet, so no guarantees here