Friday, October 10, 2008

Pumpkin Waffles


I promise I wouldn't make so many things with pumpkin if everything I made with pumpkin didn't turn out amazingly. One after another, each dish never fails to impress me. Now I see why the ladies on my cooking board are addicted!

Last Saturday morning was a sleeping-in, studying, and cleaning the house day, so I decided to get Joe and I moving with a special treat of pumpkin waffles. I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided to give it a go. These may be the best waffles I have ever had. They were the perfect combination of crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Served with real maple syrup, they were the perfect fall treat.


Pumpkin Waffles
source: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray

Accompaniment: warm pure maple syrup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250-degrees and preheat waffle iron.

Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.

Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.