Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

It was one of those mornings. . . 6:15AM and the kids were starting to wake up for the day. As I heard the showers turn on, it dawned on me that the kids would be headed to the kitchen next for some breakfast, and I forgot to get milk! This meant cereal was out of the question. So, I decided that if I was going to give them a decent breakfast, I had better start cooking! 

Out came my waffle iron!

Of course, I can't get enough pumpkin! Any recipe I can find that features pumpkin, I'm all over it! The recipe I used this morning came from Allrecipes.com. This is a great place to go for most recipes because they are rated by the people who have tried them out. Any recipe with 4.5 out of 5 stars or greater with more than 200 voters, is considered a good recipe to me. I've never been disappointed. I did modify this recipe, however, to fit my pantry and our tastes. If you give them a try, be sure to set aside about 30 minutes of your morning. If you don't feel like making them in the rush of your morning routine, you can make a batch or 2, or 3 and freeze them for later. Then the kids can pop them into the toaster anytime they are in the mood for yummy pumpkin waffles! 

I hope you like them! We sure did!

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup water

1 cup heavy cream, half and half (or milk)

4 eggs, separated

1 stick butter, melted

Apple Cider Syrup

1 cup apple juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

1 cinnamon stick

(1) Turn on your waffle iron before you start. 

Place all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

(2) Separate your eggs. Place your egg whites in a clean, dry bowl fitted to a mixer and beat until soft peaks form.

(3) Combine all of your wet ingredients in another large bowl, except for the melted butter. 

(4) Begin mixing in your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients a little at a time, alternating with your butter, until it all comes together. Be careful not to over mix. Your batter will be thick and not at all runny like pancake batter.

(5) Spray your heated waffle iron with cooking spray and scoop generous amounts of the waffle mixture onto the iron. For perfect waffles, it is better to overfill the iron. You can always trim off excess when they are through cooking.

(6) When the iron indicates that the waffles are done, they should be a golden color and slightly crispy. Remove them from the iron and serve immediately with your homemade Apple Cider Syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup

If you are a good multi-tasking cook, you can make this syrup while you are making your waffles. 

Place all of your ingredients in a saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pan and cook on medium high heat, without stirring until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F. Remove from the heat, carefully pull out the cinnamon stick and let it cool until your waffles are ready. You can serve it hot or at room temperature. Store your leftovers in a container in the pantry for 1 week  or for a month in the fridge.

PS- This recipe for syrup is perfect for those days when you are planning on making pancakes or waffles and realize that you are out of maple syrup!