Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Honey Butter

Waffles are the best Breakfast carb, in my humble opinion.

There are definitely more waffle recipes than pancake recipes on the blog.  I’m just totally mesmerized with the crispy crater-y outsides, and the fluffy interiors.  Watching butter melt and settle into each square indentation, to be followed by maple syrup, well that is truly one of the perks of a good waffle.  Built in syrup containers!

The Perfect Autumn Waffle

We are opening up cans of pumpkin, or roasting off fresh pumpkins, squashes and sweet potatoes.  But what if we don’t end up using all that we had opened or roasted off? Then this is the perfect way to use up the leftovers.  The purée from a can, or a purée that you have whizzed up is such a wonderful ingredient to waffle batter. Just remember, don’t use a can of pumpkin pie filling. Adding pumpkin spices just takes the batter, and the finished waffles to the next level.  These waffles are pure comfort food on a cool rainy weekend morning.  The spices are warm, cozy, and will just put a smile on your face, making you wish that apple picking, leaf pile jumping, and hikes in the forest were on the agenda for the day ahead. 

My Pumpkin Spice Blend, easily halved or doubled, depending on how much you plan on using for the season.

Combine the following in a container with a lid, shake well till completely combined, and then store in a glass jar with a lid: 

• 4 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp cloves

The waffle dry ingredients are pretty straightforward: flour (feel free to use a gluten free cup for cup blend), baking soda, baking powder, salt and spice blend.  These will get blended together (you can prep this the evening before you are planning on making waffles for brunch etc)

The wet ingredients are the pumpkin purée, eggs, butter (melted) dark brown sugar, vanilla and buttermilk, kefir, or plain milk.  I prefer to use buttermilk or kefir, for the natural tang that embodies the baked waffles.  These also can be prepared and stored in a sealed container in the fridge till needed.  Just remove and bring to room temp in the morning.

Once you are ready to make the waffles, pre-heat your waffle maker.  And have some non-stick spray nearby.  At this point you can whisk up the dry ingredients, make a well, and then pour in the wet ingredients.  Whisk only till blended, some lumps are fine.  Over-mixing will result in tough waffles.

How Much Batter to Use

Each waffle maker is different.  A Belgian waffle maker is deeper, so more batter will be needed.  I find that with my Belgian waffle maker, I use roughly a 1/3 measuring cup’s worth per individual waffle (don’t worry about the image below, I show a 1/2 cup measuring scoop, but I’m not filling it).  If I am using my round, regular Cuisinart waffle maker, I use roughly 1/2 cup batter which will spread out to fill the entire surface. If you are unsure what works best, start with one, and see what happens, especially if you have a four square waffle maker.  The batter is pretty thick, so use a small offset spatula to spread out the batter.  Don’t worry about getting to the edges, the batter will get there once the lid is placed down on the batter.

Method

Bake until crispy on the outside, I usually set my maker to the second highest setting.  Don’t disturb the batter as it is baking.  As long as steam is rising up out of the waffle maker, it is an indication that there is too much liquid that still needs to be baked off before you can lift the lid.  Once the steam has dissipated, you can gingerly lift the lid to see the progress.  I have found that I need to go the whole time till the timer goes off, to ensure that the exterior is crispy, and the inside is fluffy.

Transfer the waffles to a paper towel lined wire cooling rack.  This will help them stay crispy.  Of course, if eating right away, they will stay on the wire rack for only a few moments!  But, if you want to freeze any unused waffles, this wire rack step is crucial to prepare them for freezing.

Serve with Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter!

Let’s take these waffles to Gilmore Girls paradise, by adding Cinnamon Butter, ‘cuz that’s what Luke did! His crusty exterior hid a heart of gold, and his love language including feeding people!

Whipped butter is often forgot as a brilliant way to serve up butter.  We used to whip the butter at one restaurant I worked at.  It made spreading onto warm bread just so easy, the butter was like velvet. So let’s add some fun flavours to this simple whipped butter.  All you will need are honey, icing sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt.  This comes together in minutes, and makes the perfect topper to waffles, pancakes, corn on the cob, cornbread, banana bread, even spread out on toast for that Cinnamon Toast treat. 

Use a hand held mixer for best results.  I find using a large stand mixer is overkill, and doesn’t get to the stuff a the bottom.  Of course, if you double the recipe, then a stand mixer is great. Whisking by hand will just not get you that smooth velvety result.  

Store in the fridge to last longer, bringing it out to room temperature before serving. If you know that you will use a batch within the week, it can be stored in a sealed container on the counter.  If you want to add a smidge of heat, feel free to use my Hot Honey recipe, or just add a pinch of cayenne pepper (a small pinch is all you will need)

Turning this Batter into Pancake Batter

Yes, you can turn this waffle batter into pancake batter.  Just remember that the sugar and fat used in the waffle batter are there to create the crispy exterior.  To thin this batter out, you would think that adding some milk would be good enough.  But no, the sugars and fat in the milk will increase the sugar and fat content, which may cause scorching of the pancakes before they are fluffy.  So thin out the batter with water.  Add in small increments till you get a spreadable but not runny batter.  Then make as you usually would.

Final Thoughts

I always make a full batch of this recipe, even if there are only two of us.  Better to have extra made for spontaneous waffle moments. Store extra waffles in a freezer bag or sealed container for a few days. Re-warm in a toaster oven or skillet over medium low heat to get the crispness back. 

If you want to freeze these waffles, let them cool on the wire cooling rack and then lay them out onto a baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet into the freezer.  Once they are frozen, they can be removed and stored in a freezer bag, now they won’t stick to each other.  Just thaw in the fridge overnight, or even use a toaster or toaster oven set to defrost.  But they won’t take too long, so keep an eye on them.

If you make these Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Honey Butter, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen