The Snack Attack: How To Celebrate International Waffle Day Like A Boss

Friday, March 25 is International Waffle Day and today, we're going to show you how to celebrate like a true boss.

But first, a little history. International Waffle Day began in Sweden as Våffeldagen, where people would celebrate the beginning of spring by gorging on waffles. We're kind of spoiled in the U.S. because we get to celebrate waffle day twice every year. March 25 is the international celebration and then on August 24, Americans celebrate National Waffle Day on the date the patent was granted for the waffle iron back in 1869.

Sure, you could crack open a box of Bisquick and get waffling, but how international is that?

To help you celebrate this wonderful day like you really should, here's a list of waffle recipes inspired by famous flavors from around the world. *Note: I ended up cutting each recipe in half because I was only cooking for two people. 

Churro Waffles -- Spain

If cinnamon toast and pancakes had a baby, it would be the Churro Waffle. This recipe, which comes from Chica Chocolatina, puts a fluffy spin on the crispy fried Churros sold by street carts in Spain and across Latin America.

The batter smells SO GOOD when it's in the iron, filling the kitchen with the sweet scent of cinnamon. When the waffle is done cooking, you douse it in melted butter and then generously sprinkle -- or in my case completely cover -- both sides in cinnamon sugar. You can eat as is or take it up a notch and use syrup. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Sausage & Cheese Filled Beer Waffles -- Germany

When a man thinks of waffles, I bet this is what pops into his mind. This recipe from The Kitchenarium combines three things all men love: beer, sausage and cheese. It's basically a complete meal in waffle form, and would make the perfect "breakfast for dinner" dish. The addition of German Lager really makes this recipe stand above the rest.

At first I wasn't sure the white cheddar cheese would mix well with the syrup, but I was wrong. The syrup is what really pulls all of these diverse flavors together.

Maple Bacon Buttermilk Waffles -- Canada

It just makes sense: Maple + Bacon + Waffles = perfection! This recipe from Baking Bites shows why maple is the king of breakfast, and for that we can thank Canada.

The best thing about these waffles is you get a mouthful of bacon and maple syrup in every bite because both are actually baked into the mix. And the buttermilk batter gives this waffle a nice crispy edge that traditional waffles usually lack. For extra goodness, top with even more crumbled bacon pieces.

Banana Bread Waffles - Jamaica
with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

The saying goes true that nobody makes banana bread like mom, but this recipe from Mother Tyme comes pretty close -- if you prefer your banana bread in waffle form that is. Jamaica is one of the largest banana producers in the world. When I was in Montego Bay on my honeymoon, I ate banana bread all day, everyday and I came home craving it. These Banana Bread Waffles are the way to get my fix, but to make them truly Jamaician I add Appleton rum. Yeah mon!

These waffles are sweet enough to eat plain, if you're into that. I don't really care for the way regular syrup made them taste, it took away from the banana flavor, so I did some searching and found an amazing recipe for Buttermilk Caramel Syrup, from Creations by Kara. It was a match made in heaven. Kara describes the sweet syrup as "the best thing that has happened to breakfast since sliced bread," and she's not kidding.

Chocolate Buttermilk Belgian Waffles -- Belgium
with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

You can't celebrate International Waffle Day without a taste of Belgium. And that's why this recipe from Kitchen Confidante is perfect for today, because it puts a chocolatey twist on the classic recipe.

I accidently over whipped the batter and it got really fluffy, and I also used more cocoa powder than I was supposed to, but these still turned out amazing. I opted for the Buttermilk Caramel Syrup, which made this waffle taste like a big, fudgy brownie. You could make these for dessert and no one would be disappointed. Or serve with a scoop of ice cream to make the ultimate sundae.

The Snack Attack is a new daily feature on CBSDetroit.com that centers around all things food. Know of a new snack we should attack? Send an email and we'll be sure to add it to the list.