Recipe: Pumpkin Spiced Waffles

Okay, so you are going to have a house full of family on Thanksgiving. There’s no doubt you will have guests arriving either the day before or spending the night. A child home from college perhaps? Most likely you’ve been cooking for a day of two in advance (I’m thinking pies, stuffing prep, and maybe the cranberry salad). Whether it’s Thanksgiving morning or the morning after, the last thing this tired chef wants to hear is “when is breakfast?”

Sound familiar?

If you are anything like me, you will want to do something easy that can be done ahead of time but still dazzles with holiday spirit.

My go-to holiday morning breakfast is always a big batch of my famous Pumpkin Waffles from Cafe 222. The restaurant is usually packed on Thanksgiving or I would shuttle everyone down there and save myself the mess and dishes. The next best thing to going to the café is making our signature dish at home.

This waffle batter can be made ahead of time. It will hold well overnight and even for another day after if need be. One bit of advice: this is a “puffy” waffle, so don’t overfill the waffle iron. Terryl Gavre, owner of Cafe 222 and co-owner of Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant; breadandbutterismyjam.com

Ingredients:

2½ cups flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
½ cup butter (1 stick)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients through cloves.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, milk, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree.
3. Gently stir the puree mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. Melt the butter and gently fold into the batter.
5. Prepare in a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions.