Pumpkin Waffles

I was informed by my husband the other night that he is "pumpkin-ed out".  o_0 ...  He revealed this to me when I asked what kind of doughnuts he'd like me to bake this weekend (YES!  I recently bought a doughnut pan and am just dying to use it!).  Perhaps he would like... pumpkin doughnuts?  Negatory.  He is (I'll say it again) "pumpkin-ed out".  "Everything you've baked lately has been pumpkin!", he says.  While this may be true... my obsessive use of pumpkin in dishes both savory and sweet has just begun.  He'll have to learn to deal with it.


So what do I do immediately after he tells me this?  Decide that 1) I am going to bake those pumpkin doughnuts this weekend; and 2) that this recipe for Pumpkin Waffles should be my next post.  


I used to make some combination of waffles, sausage, and eggs for breakfast every Saturday and Sunday for Sean and myself.  Somewhere during my first year of grad school I became lazy (read: exhausted) and stopped doing this.  Sure, Sean is perfectly capable of making some breakfast--in fact, he makes some mean eggs and bacon--but I feel a little guilty about letting this tradition/ritual slide.  So now I'm trying to bring it whenever I can.  This past Sunday seemed like the perfect time, since we didn't have any plans that involved leaving the apartment.  I figured rather than reaching for the boxed waffle mix, which will do in a pinch, that I'd try a recipe that was a little more labor intensive and interesting.


Thanks to Better Homes and Gardens for this recipe.


You'll need:


2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs, separated
3 tbs butter, melted


In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger.  Set this bowl aside.


In a medium bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, and melted butter.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture all at once, and stir to combine.  The batter should be pretty lumpy.


In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on highs peed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin mixture.  There should be a few streaks of egg white visible still.

Heat your waffle maker, pour in some batter (amount will depend on size of your waffle maker), close the lid and bake according to manufacturer's directions.  

Calphalon waffle maker ftw: Another awesome wedding gift =D

You can serve them immediately or keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven for a short while.  


We served ours with a little butter and syrup.

Sean was kind and patient enough to let me photograph his waffle before digging in.  Thanks, honey!

The verdict: These waffles were good.  But just good.  There wasn't anything wrong with them... I just kind of felt they were a little lacking in pumpkin flavor.  


Lack of pumpkininess (totally made that up) aside, these waffles were good!  They end up being a nice warm color, and are tender, and taste good.  They're much better than anything that comes out of a box.  They definitely require more effort than the "just add water" boxed mixes, but are much tastier.  Give them a shot if you have some extra time on the weekend.