Recipe Thursday: Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup

Yikes! This is recipe 8/16, half way done!

I don't understand how canned pumpkin can smell so bad, but pumpkin flavored things are so good. This week's recipe is a breakfast one, although it is way too many ingredients for me to make for a normal weekday breakfast. (my usual breakfast is a smoothie and some toast) But this recipe is perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast, which is when I made it.

Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup

For the Waffles:
2 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs separated
1/4 cup melted butter

For the Syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup apple cider
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter

Combine flour, baking powder, spices, salt and brown sugar in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine milk, pumpkin and egg yolks.

In a third bowl, whip egg whites until frothy. The more you whip them, the lighter your waffles will be, so get moving.

Add the dry ingredients and melted butter to the pumpkin mixture. Gently fold in about half of the egg whites until incorporated. Then fold in the rest.

Pour batter into a hot waffle iron. They do need to cook longer than regular waffles, but they smell so good as they cook that it is okay. I got about 8 waffles out of the batter.

Because I used 3 bowls for the waffles, I just mixed all of the syrup ingredients directly in the saucepan that it cooked in. (sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, apple cider and butter)

Cook over medium heat, until the mixture boils and thickens. Serve warm over the waffles. (or in a bathtub that you roll around in because it is so good)

So, how was it?
Oh. My. Word. These were amazing. Even the Mister, who doesn't like cake, pancakes or waffles (crazy, right?) said they were really good. For sure, these are not for everyday, but I had 4 leftover after breakfast, so I threw them in the freezer to eat during the week. The syrup was fantastic. If you didn't want to make the syrup, and I can't really see a reason not to, you could use regular syrup or apple butter would be fantastic on these as well. You could add a bit more sugar and some vanilla to the waffle batter and eat them without adding anything.