And for IHOP's next trick, it will be taking a croissant and pressing it in a waffle iron. I'm not kidding: The new IHOP “Criss-Croissant” has done to waffles what Dominique Ansel did to doughnuts. I'm also not kidding when I say I would totally eat that, because that sounds delicious — even if I'm not by nature a huge IHOP fan. It's not that I don't like breakfast foods — on the contrary; I adore them — but if I'm going to have diner food, I'd rather have diner food: The kind you can only get from that place down the block from you that's been there since the dawn of time.
In any event, though, I do have to give the pancake chain credit for coming up with something that would definitely inspire me to pay them a visit. “Criss-Croissants” involve “waffulized” croissants — that is, croissants that have been smashed between the heavy iron jaws of an industrial waffle maker — which are then stuffed full of some ridonculously sweet-sounding filling. Options include lemonade cream with blackberries and sweetened cream cheese with something that is, in essence, strawberry rhubarb pie filling. True, we may all be getting a little bit tired of the whole Frankenpastry trend…but I'd still give this one a shot.
As Eater points out, Criss-Croissants (jump, jump!) aren't the first strange and unusual breakfast food IHOP has shilled in recent months; in September, it released the kraken — er, a waffle-cheesecake hybrid, which doesn't sound nearly as delicious as a waffle-croissant hybrid. You'll have to act fast if you want a Criss-Croissant, though; they'll only be available until April 5.
In the meantime, though, I've also been inspired to see what else might be worth jamming in a waffle iron. How about giving one of these options a try?
1. Sandwiches
A sandwich goes in; a…something…emerges. A waffle sandwich? A wafflewich? A sandaffle? Something resembling, but not quite, a panini? Whatever. If you don't have a sandwich press, I think a waffle iron is a perfectly acceptable substitute.
2. Hot Dogs
One of my favorite barbecue places does this thing where they slice their hot dogs in half lengthwise, then grills them. I don't know why, but it makes them taste so much better than regular hot dogs (and I already love me a good hot dog, sooooo…you do the math. And think up all the double entendres that go along with it). I would image you can accomplish something similar with the aid of a waffle maker.
3. Pie
Sure, it'll be a smashed, but who cares? Because pie.
4. Bagels
This suggestion could go one of two ways: Either you put the raw bagel dough in the waffle iron and see what happens, or you slice a fully baked bagel in half and essentially grill it on the waffle iron. I'm admittedly more interested in finding out to what the first option might lead, but who am I kidding? I'll take either.
5. Pizza
Come to think of it, maybe a pizza pocket might be a better choice — something more akin to a calzone. That way, you wouldn't have to deal with all that cheese getting stuck in the waffle grid's tiny little crevices.
6. Crepes
Crepe batter in and of itself might not make for a very satisfying waffle — but what if you make your crepe, then press it in your waffle iron? And what if you filled it with Nutella and bananas or something first? Droooooool.
7. Burritos
Grilled burrito FTW.
