Fire up your waffle maker.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one by one, to the butter mixture, followed by the vanilla. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed between eggs.

Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) into the butter-egg mixture, followed by the water. Mix flour and water into the butter mixture on medium-low speed until well combined and a smooth batter forms.

Scoop waffle batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturers instructions until golden brown.

Serve finished waffles topped with ice cream, fresh fruit, maple syrup, whipped cream, or sprinkled with icing sugar. Or, if your sweet tooth is feeling modest, you can just eat a plain waffle!

These delicious waffles are best consumed immediately. If you are making waffles for a crowd, preheat oven to 200 F and transfer cooked waffles to the preheated oven to keep warm while you finish cooking. To keep waffles crispy, place waffles directly on a wire rack inside the oven and do not stack waffles.