Liege Waffles (Authentic Belgium Waffles-Like in the Train Stations)

When I was in my early 20's, I backpacked around Europe for a few weeks with my roommate.  We ate so much delicious food!  Of all the amazing things we tasted, my favorite was the waffles in Belgium, eaten fresh from the cart in the train station.  Sooo delicious!  It is more like a cookie than a waffle.  A thick, sweet, sugar crystal filled, waffle shaped cookie.  For years (before the internet was as amazing as it is now) I tried to figure out what the secret sugar ingredient was in the waffle.  Now, all you have to do is a google search, and you'll know it is Belgium Pearl Sugar.  You can buy it on Amazon for about $10 a bag, and it's worth it to have the authentic stuff, straight out of Belgium.  My sister gave me a bag for my birthday, and we loved trying out different recipes to see what we thought was the most like the waffles from the train stations in Belgium.  A downside to these waffles: they are pretty high maintenance.  You need to plan a day in advance of when you want them.  They are like bread, they have to have time to rise.  And, they are a lot of work!  But they are definitely worth it!  I am going to put on two recipes: an easier recipe, which although still delicious, was not quite authentic, and the more time consuming recipe, which was my favorite of the two.

Liege Waffles

from the back of my Waffle Pantry pearl sugar bag

1 c. milk

2 1/2 tsp. instant dry yeast

4 c. flour

2 eggs

6 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 generous pinch of salt

10 oz. butter

1 c. Waffle Pantry Belgium pearl sugar

Heat the milk to lukewarm.  In a large bowl, pour the milk in and stir the yeast into it and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the flour, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.  Mix it to form a sticky dough.  Add the softened butter and mix it until it is just combined.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 2-3 hours.  After it is good and rested, gently fold in the pearl sugar.  Divide it into 10 portions and rest for 15 minutes.  Bake it in the waffle iron until it is golden.  I baked some at this point, and saved some for the kids for the next morning.  Those that I baked the next morning tasted a little better to us.

Recipe #2 (the harder, but more authentic version)

from: ashleemarie.com

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. sugar

3/4 c. whole milk, warmed

2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

4 c. bread flour (For 1 c. worth, I just used 2 Tbsp cornstarch, mixed with enough flour to make 1 c.)

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. butter, softened

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. Belgium pearl sugar

Pour the milk, yeast and sugar into your mixing bowl, and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix it until it is smooth.  Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mixture to keep it from getting a crusty top, and let it rise for 90 minutes.  When it is done rising, add the brown sugar and salt and blend on medium speed.  While it is mixing, add the honey and vanilla.  Add the butter, 2 Tbsp. at a time.  Mix the dough for 4 minutes, at medium low speed.  Let the dough rest for 1 minute, then mix it again for 2 minutes, then rest and repeat the process until the dough balls up on the hook.  Cover it and let it rise for 4 hours.  When it is done rising, punch the dough down, wrap it in plastic wrap, place it in a bowl and weigh it down with something (like a bowl) and refrigerate it overnight.  In the morning, place the dough (it will be firm) on a lightly floured surface and knead in the pearl sugar, a little bit at a time.  Divide the dough into 13 balls, and let it rise for another 90 minutes.  Cook it in a waffle iron for 3-4 minutes.  If the waffle iron gets too hot, the sugar will burn, so pay attention to the temperature of your waffle iron (the recipe says to keep it at 360 degrees.  I can't tell the temperature on mine, but I didn't have any problems cooking them).  Be careful when you eat these, the sugar is very hot!  You will want to let them cool for a minute.  And enjoy, after all that hard work!

Sour Cream Waffles With White Chocolate and Cranberries

I have been working on this recipe in my mind for a while now.  I love the flavor combination of cranberries and white chocolate and thought it would be great in a waffle.  And I was right!  The sour cream waffle was soft on the inside, crispy on the outside.  The craisens (much easier than cranberries) and white chocolate added a delicious sweetness.

Sour Cream Waffles with White Chocolate and Cranberries
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 c. white flour
1 c. wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
white chocolate chips
Craisens (dried cranberries)

In a bowl, combine the water, sour cream, yogurt and lemon juice.  Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and mix well.  Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.  Heat your waffle iron.  Spray it with cooking spray and pour some batter on (the normal amount).  Take a little handful of white chocolate chips and Craisens and sprinkle them onto your waffle batter before closing the lid (as you can see, I had children who requested no Craisens on their half :).

Cook it.  Serve it with buttermilk syrup or powdered sugar. 

See the little white chocolate chips, peeking out?  Mmmm.

Toasted Nutmegged Almond and Coconut Waffles

I wanted to be specific with the title so you knew the yummy goodness that this waffle offers.  I got the idea for adding the nutmegged (is that an adjective) almonds from the Klutzy Chef and loved the flavor so much I tried it in a lot of different things.  I also love toasted coconut so I always add this as well and the combination is awesome.  Add fresh fruit on top and you've got some amazing flavors and textures.

Toasted Nutmegged Almond and Coconut Waffles

Ingredients:

Basic waffle recipe  (One of my favorites is this one, minus the bacon of course.)

Sliced almonds

Shredded coconut

Nutmeg 

Cinnamon

Sliced fruit (optional)

Directions:

Whip up your waffle batter.  Spread sliced almonds on cookie sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray or lightly drizzle with vegetable or olive oil, toss until they are all lightly coated.  Sprinkle with nutmeg then toss again.  Add shredded coconut to the cookie sheet.  Put your oven on broil and (set a timer if you're like me and you always forget and/or have set your oven on fire the last time you toasted coconut) toast the coconut and almonds until lightly browned.

When you're ready to make your first waffle, pour batter onto hot waffle iron then sprinkle generously with cinnamon, coconut, and almonds, right there on top of the batter.  Close the lid on that sucker and wait til all that deliciousness is baked right inside of that hot, fluffy waffle.

Slice fresh fruit on top and drizzle slather with syrup.  I can almost smell the nutmeg and cinnamon right now.

Birthday Cake Waffles

Lynnette told me one day that the best french toast she had ever eaten were dipped in cake batter.  I had never heard of this, but thought it would be fun to try it with waffles (of course I did!).  As you can imagine, the kids loved them.  They affectionately named them Birthday Cake Waffles.  The only thing that could have made them better would have been a candle on top to blow out!

Birthday Cake Waffles

by: Carolyn 

1 white cake mix

1 3/4 c. white flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs

In a mixing bowl, mix the cake mix according to the package directions and then set it aside.  In another large bowl combine all the other ingredients and mix it well.  Bake the waffles in your waffle iron and then set them aside.  Spray a griddle with cooking spray.  Now, take a waffle and dip it in the cake batter and cook it on the griddle (like you would french toast).  

The cake batter gets pretty thick on the waffle, and this is OK.  The more batter the merrier.  It just makes it more cake-y. 

Serve these with syrup, powdered sugar or whipped cream.  And preferably sprinkles and a candle.  Happy Birthday!

Apple, Potato & Sausage Waffles

This recipe comes from a waffle cookbook that Nicole gave me, and I liked it.  Lynnette and I made it together one night for dinner.  The added sausage, potatoes and apples make it a more filling waffle and a heartier meal.  

Apple, Potato & Sausage Waffles

adapted from: The Best of Waffles and Pancakes

1 c. wheat flour

1/2 c. white flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

3 eggs

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

6 oz. sausage

1/2 c. peeled, chopped, cooked potatoes (I used 2 small-ish ones)

1/2 c. peeled, chopped apples

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the milk, eggs and butter and stir it well.  Stir in the sausage, potatoes and apples.  Grease your waffle iron and cook it as you normally would.  Serve it with maple syrup.

Perfect Pumpkin Waffles

The other day I wanted to make pumpkin waffles.  I found this recipe on a Pumpkin Waffle Blog, and this was their ultimate pumpkin waffle recipe.  So I guessed that this was going to be the best recipe.  And I wasn't disappointed.  It had the perfect blend of pumpkin, spice and texture.  Another website had said to make apple syrup to eat with pumpkin waffles, and while I didn't have time for that, I did have a bottle of apple butter that we opened up.  The apple was really good with the pumpkin.  If you are looking for a great Fall feeling recipe, this is a good one.

Perfect Pumpkin Waffles

from: http://pumpkinwaffles.wordpress.com/

1/4 c. brown sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 large eggs

1 c. whole milk (I used 2%)

1 c. canned solid pack pumpkin

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl and whisk together to break apart the cornstarch.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  Separate the eggs.  In a medium bowl put the yolks, and in a small bowl put the whites.  Add the pumpkin and the milk to the yolk.  Mix it well and set it aside.  Whip the egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form and set it aside.  Pour the melted butter into the yolk/pumpkin mixture and mix until it is well blended.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir it until it is combined.  Gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter.  

Bake in your waffle iron.  Serve with maple syrup or something 
apple-y! 

Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

One day, I checked my mail, and there was a little surprise waiting for me from Nicole.  She sent me a waffle cookbook!  Oh, I have had fun with it.  So far, I haven't been let down on any recipes.  This one Nicole and I made together.  I was inspired to make it after attending a reunion and eating the most amazing waffles and syrup.  I say the syrup separately because it deserves it.  We used the waffle recipe from the cookbook and the syrup comes from my uncle Greg and his family.  Make sure you spray your waffle iron well, as the blueberries will stick to it.  And the syrup separates, so you'll want to stir it before you re-apply it to your waffles (multiple times-it is so good).

Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles
adapted from The Best of Waffles and Pancakes


2 c. flour (use half white, half wheat if you would like)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. honey
blueberries


Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray.  Combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg yolks, butter and honey.  Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix it with a few strokes to form a lumpy batter.  In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the eggs whites into the batter.  Pour about 1/2 c. batter onto the waffle iron and drop a few blueberries on top.  And then cook it up.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, make your syrup.  It is extremely fast to make. (I know this pictures looks like something home brewed, but it also shows how frothy it gets.  Mmmm.)

Delicious, Amazing Buttermilk Syrup (I just made that name up)
by: Uncle Greg and Aunt Julie


1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda


In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter and sugar, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.  Add the buttermilk and return it to a boil.  Remove it from the heat and wait one minute.  I don't know why this step of waiting one minute is important, but I haven't dared skip it for fear that my yummy syrup wouldn't come out as frothy and delicious as it should.  So just obey it.  Then stir in the vanilla and baking soda and serve it immediately.    

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

So the new waffle recipe that I tried this morning was a complete success!  Nothing makes me happier than when I try a new recipe and it is so so delicious.  I loved everything about these waffles, especially the delicate, but prominent, lemony flavor.  I have always been skeptical of recipes that make you beat the egg whites separately before folding them in to the rest of the batter, because I never feel like I can tell the difference.  But with these, it was very apparent that I whipped those egg whites until they were dreamy because of the light and fluffy texture that they caused my waffles to take on.  There were many recipes that said to make a blueberry syrup for these babies, but as we did not have any blueberries this morning we decided to go for our tried and true maple syrup.  (I always end up liking maple syrup the best anyways so I wasn't too disappointed.)

So here it is, one of my new favorite recipes.  (Matt asked if I even liked them better than bacon waffles, and I had to consider for a minute.  That's how good they are.)


Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles
Adadpted from Back to the Cutting Board

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. sugar
Zest from one lemon (about 1 tbsp.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (if you don’t have any on hand, use 1 T. lemon juice and pour milk in to equal 1c.)
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I didn’t have any so I used non-fat sour cream which is a good substitute)
4 tbsp. butter, melted (I used 2 T. butter and 2 T. applesauce, which is slightly healthier and the texture was still amazing.)
2 large eggs, separated
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. In a large bowl add sugar and lemon zest and mix together with your fingers until almost like a paste, about a minute.
3. Stir in both flours, baking soda, salt, and poppyseeds.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, yogurt, melted butter and egg yolks. Set aside.
5. In a third bowl or electric mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks.
6. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon a few times.
7. Add lemon juice and mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated.
8. Gently fold in egg whites.

9. Spray waffle iron with cooking spray. Spoon in 1/3 cup (or 1/2 cup for Belgian waffles) of batter. Bake until crisp and golden. Serve with warm syrup.

Hawaiian Waffles with Pineapple and Coconut and Coconut Syrup

Why is it if I make a new recipe, we always end up eating on princess dishes?  I made this waffle recipe tonight and I'm not going to lie to you, it wasn't our favorite.  It was a pretty normal waffle, even with the added ingredients and it was also slightly flimsy.  We like ours a little more fluffy and firm.  The flavor was fine though.  I probably wouldn't have put it on here except for the recipe for the coconut syrup on top was so wonderful!  I thought it would have been amazing on pancakes, french toast, ice cream, drinking it from a cup (kidding. mostly.).  I made a few changes in the waffle recipe, which should help some of the issues we had, so please don't let my negativity scare you off.  And if nothing else, make the coconut syrup!  You will definitely not regret it.


Hawaiian Waffles with Pineapple and Coconut
adapted from allrecipes.com


1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
3/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. coconut milk
3/4 c. chopped fresh pineapple (I used canned)
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 egg whites, beaten (somehow I missed that beating part until right as I'm typing this.  That may have helped the flimsiness)


In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, combine the egg yolk, sour cream, coconut milk, pineapple and melted butter and mix it well.  If you don't want chunks of pineapple in your waffles, you may want to consider pureeing it before you add it in.  My kids were disgusted by the chunks.  I thought they added a fruity kick.  Add your flour mixture to the wet mixture and mixture it well (ha ha).  Gently fold in the egg whites.  Cook on your waffle iron like you always do.


Now for the really good stuff:


Coconut Syrup
from allrecipes.com


1 can coconut milk
1 c. shredded coconut
3/4 c. brown sugar


In a heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients and mix well.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to a blender and puree' it until it is smooth.  Serve it immediately.  

Dutch Cream Waffles with Butter Pecan Syrup

Don't these sound divine.  Any recipe that has the word "cream" in it has got to be good, right?  Right.  These waffles had a great fluffiness and texture.  They didn't get soggy at all, but they were not hard.  It was almost like they had a slightly crisp shell and soft, yummy innards (when I say "innards" does that counteract the "cream" effect?  Sorry.)  They weren't sweet, so you'll want something a little sweet to put on them.  I made butter pecan syrup, and while super delicious, not sweet enough. I have changed that for you, but when you are making it, just give it a little taste and see if it has enough sugar for what you like.

Dutch Cream Waffles

from: www.allrecipes.com

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

6 eggs, separated

2 c. heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl combine the flour and salt.  In another bowl, mix the egg yolks while adding the whipping cream.  Beat for one minute.  Add that to the flour mixture and mix it well, until it is smooth (as smooth as you can get it-it is pretty thick and I could never get mine completely smooth).  In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and then gently fold them into the batter.  Cook them in your waffle iron normally.  You may want to spray it with cooking spray to start out, just in case.


Butter Pecan Syrup
adapted from: www.allrecipes.com


1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk (I used a cup of milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice-let it sit for 5 minutes and voila! buttermilk)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. chopped pecans


Bring the butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once it is simmering, whisk in the baking soda and cook it for 10 seconds before removing it from the heat.  Stir in the pecans and serve it warm over the waffles (or ice cream, or whatever).

Bacon Waffles

Okay, I know we have posted a lot of breakfast foods lately, but I think breakfast is the best meal of the day and should be eaten at all times of the day. (This is coming from a girl who eats cold cereal for dessert.)

I haven't posted in a long time because we lost our camera while on a trip to Costa Rica. We finally got a new camera this week, so I took the opportunity to snap a picture of my Mothers Day waffles.

These waffles aren't my typical, try-a-new-and-exciting-recipe recipe, these are waffles we eat regularly around here. I like to change things up a lot with our meals, so I don't make the same meals over and over again very often. However, we eat these waffles almost weekly.

Matt's family grew up on "bacon waffles", which I thought was a strange idea when he told me about them, but have since come to realize how amazing bacon waffles really are. I am not a huge fan of "lots of MEAT" like my husband is, I prefer sweeter breakfasts (notice the syrup glistening on those pancakes). This recipe is perfect for both of us. Somehow, bacon inside your waffles tastes so much better than bacon next to your waffles; my husband agrees.

Bacon Waffles

Directions:

To make Bacon Waffles, fry up some bacon like normal and pat dry with a paper towel. Meanwhile, stir up your favorite basic waffle recipe (our favorite is below) and preheat your waffle iron.

Rip bacon strips in half and lay2 or 3 halves on the waffle iron and pour a scoop of batter over the bacon. It takes a little less than normal because of the bacon so don't overfill it. Close the lid and wait for the bacon to be encased in a soft, yet crispy golden brown waffle.

Here is the recipe for our favorite waffles that house the crispy bacon. They are light and golden brown and delicious. I got it out of my Stake cook book from Enoch, Utah (my hometown). Thanks Joan Anderson.

Waffles

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

1 3/4 c. milk

2 eggs, beaten until light

1/3 c. melted shortening or oil

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the milk gradually. Add the beaten eggs and the melted shortening. Stir quickly until dry ingredients are moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Approximately 1 c. of batter makes a full size waffle.

Do you see the bacon peeking through?

I could probably eat these everyday.

Mom's Whole Wheat Cinnamon Vanilla Waffles

This is my basic waffle recipe that my mom has used my whole life for waffles (and a little variation for pancakes).  I added the cinnamon and vanilla to spice up the whole wheat a little.  We make the pancake version nearly every day for breakfast and this waffle version at least once a week.  I don't always add the cinnamon and vanilla.  If you want to make it as pancakes, use 1 1/4 c. flour, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 egg, 1 1/4 c. milk and 1 Tbsp. oil.   

Mom's Whole Wheat Cinnamon Vanilla Waffles

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. white flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Sift together all the flours, baking powder and salt.  Add the milk, eggs, oil and mix it well.  Stir in the vanilla and  cinnamon.  And cook 'em up.

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Waffles with Peanut Butter Glaze

Nicole and I decided to start trying out a new waffle recipe every other week.  Someday we want to open a waffle shop together (I should give Monica some credit here, too.  She is going to be our restaraunt cleaner.)  When I told my mom we were going to do this project, she immediately said "Are you going to make dad's chocolate waffles?"  I don't think that my dad actually has any chocolate waffles that he could really call his own, but there is a legend in our family, that when Mom had a baby (maybe Nicole?) and Dad was in charge for a couple of days, he made us all chocolate waffles for dinner.  And I don't think we liked them.  It is joked about quite often.  So, I went ahead and started out our Waffle Project with some chocolate waffles.  I found a recipe for Chocolate pancakes, adapted them for waffles and doctored them up a bit with more chocolate.  The peanut butter glaze I found on allrecipes.com, and is incredibly easy and yummy.  The waffles (er, pancakes) recipe was from a website that I now can't find and so I can't give (whoever they were) credit.  And it actually called for bananas, which I added, but Dustin and I thought they would be better without.  If you want to add those in, go ahead!  It was two mashed bananas, folded in just before cooking.  Otherwise, enjoy these chocolate waffles, dedicated to our Dear Ol' Dad.  

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Waffles

adapted by: Carolyn

1 c. white flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Glaze

2/3 c. powdered sugar

4 tsp. water

1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

For the waffles, in a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, milk and oil and mix it well.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cook in your waffle iron, adding a couple more minutes than your waffles normally take.  I checked mine after the normal time and they usually needed a minute more.  Make sure and spray your waffle iron in between every couple of rounds of waffles.  The chocolate chips make it stick a little more than usual.  Also, be sure to stir the batter every time before pouring it on the iron to get the chocolate chips off of the bottom. 

For the glaze, in a small bowl, add all the ingredients and stir it until it is smooth and creamy.  And that's all.

Carrot Cake Waffles

Oh man, is this an awesome recipe! I love love love waffles, and Carolyn and I have made a goal to try out a different waffle recipes and post them here to find our favorites. This one was so much fun, I couldn't resist making it. I found the recipe last night while perusing through food blogs, as I often do, and as Matt slept on the floor. I wasn't tired, so when I found this recipe I couldn't wait to make it until morning. I whipped it up and had it almost all ready for breakfast in the morning. What a fun way to start out our weekend.

I found this recipe and adapted it from one of my new favorite food blogs, Willow Bird Baking.

Carrot Cake Waffles

Waffle Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 3/4 cups buttermilk* or 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins (if desired. I chose to leave them out- yuck.)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
Cooking spray for waffle iron

Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
1. **Melt butter and set aside to cool.

2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and spices.

3. Mix together the buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute) and the egg yolks. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Spray the waffle iron well and preheat it. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

4. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a whisk or electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter. Add carrots and nuts (and raisins if desired). Stir gently to combine.

5. Spoon batter in like regular waffle and cook.

6. To make Maple Cream Cheese spread, combine nuts, syrup, and cream cheese and mix well. Serve waffles immediately with a dollop of Maple Cream Cheese spread and a drizzle of syrup.

Notes:
* The buttermilk can be substituted with 1 1/4 cups of milk at room temperature, mixed with two tablespoons white vinegar, left to clabber for 10 minutes (I won’t write the definition for clabber here, it doesn’t sound appetizingJ).
** If you are more motivated than me, you can try “blooming” the spices in butter which adds flavor: Heat 4 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.