When a video for mozzarella sticks, made in the waffle iron, came over my Facebook feed, I knew I had to make Waffle Iron Mozzarella Sticks!

I will admit now that I made these three days in a row. The first was a late night practice run to see if it even worked. It worked. Yesterday I made a big plate full. While they taste great, they do not photograph well after the first 60 seconds out of the waffle iron. So we just ate them.

I had one slice of cheese left, so today I decided to try to try one last time to get a blog-worthy photo. I got my shot ready with a food stand-in, breaded the cheese, and closed the lid on the waffle iron. A minute later I lifted the golden brown, cheesy mess off the hot waffle iron, rushed it to the plate, and started clicking. I don't think NY Times food photographer Andrew Scrivani has to worry about his job, but I got a couple of decent shots.y

These are too good not to share, but I learned my lesson about posting gross photos, when my ugly salmon patty picture hit Pinterest. Please stop pinning it people. We are trying to eat here.

Anyway, nothing could be easier to make and more delicious to snack on, than mozzarella sticks from the waffle iron. I used ½" slices of a round log of whole milk mozzarella. I breaded mine with a combination of Italian-style bread crumb and Panko bread crumbs.

If you are wondering if the cheese gets stringy like the deep fryer version? Oh, yeah. Don't forget to have some marinara handy for dipping. My favorite is Mezzetta Italian Plum Tomato "Delicate" Marinara. There is nothing I don't love about this sauce. (I have not been compensated by Mezzetta, I just love the sauce!)

Waffle Iron Mozzarella Sticks

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Ingredients

▢ 16- ounce log of Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese (sliced ½" thick)
▢ 2 eggs (beaten)
▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
▢ 1 cup Italian Bread crumbs
▢ 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil (for brushing the waffle iron)

Instructions

Preheat the waffle iron. If you have browning options, choose the lowest. Slice the cheese into rounds. Add the eggs to a shallow bowl and beat lightly. Pour the flour onto a plate. Mix the two types of bread crumbs together and pour onto another plate. First dip a cheese slice into the egg, then dredge in flour. Put it back into the egg. Then coat it completely in the bread crumbs, even rolling it around to coat the sides. Pat to make sure the bread crumbs are well adhered. When the waffle iron is ready, add one slice of cheese at a time, cooking until golden brown. Use a fork to remove the cheese from the waffle. Cut into quarters and eat while still hot, dipping in marinara sauce. You could probably cook these and keep them warm in the oven until they are all ready, but honestly, they are much better eaten as they come off the waffle plate!