Liège wafels (I'm not spelling it wrong, it's the Flemish spelling) are not at all like the "Belgian waffles" we have in the U.S. They are richer and denser than the waffles we are used to. And they are not served with syrup, because they are internally sweetened. Liège wafels contain Belgian pearl sugar which caramelizes as they cook. You can buy them from street vendors in Belgium for a couple of euros a piece. We ate our fare share while over there--they are amazingly addictive!
My mom got a professional waffle iron for Christmas and Tim special ordered the sugar recently. My mom and Troy had a little waffle throw down last weekend with two different recipes that we found. According to everything I've heard, Liège style wafels are notoriously difficult to make. But the heavy duty waffle iron definitely helped. Both recipes were pretty successful. Ironically, the one that I think is a little easier (the one mom made) tasted more authentic. We filled our guts with the delicious treats while reminiscing about our Belgian experience.
