Pumpkin Waffles

• Flour – Use plain all purpose flour. I have not experimented with other flours such as coconut flour or gluten-free flour. If you are looking for other flour alternatives, then you might like this almond flour waffle recipe.
• Eggs - You will need 3 large eggs. Cold eggs straight out of the refrigerator are easier to separate when compared to room temperature eggs.
• Milk - Whole milk makes for rich and tender waffles, like in oatmeal waffles. Even almond or cashew milk will work just fine.
• Butter - Butter is a key ingredient in making the best waffle recipes.
• Pumpkin puree - Use 100% pure can and not the pumpkin pie filling, which has added spices and sugar.
• Baking powder - Gives the much needed lift and keeps the pumpkin waffles light as in the blueberry waffles recipe.
• Brown sugar - Caramel notes from brown sugar taste amazing with pumpkin.
• Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon with it's warm, sweet and earthy tones compliments the pumpkin. Feel free to use a combination of ground ginger, allspice and clove along with cinnamon like in pumpkin cupcakes or use pumpkin spice.

Variations

Here are some creative variations to create your own unique twist to your pumpkin waffle recipe:

• Maple Pecan - Mix chopped toasted pecans and use maple syrup instead of brown sugar.
• Gingerbread - Use molasses and ground ginger into the batter for a gingerbread twist.
• Cranberry Orange - Fold in dried cranberries and orange zest, and serve with orange infused maple syrup.
• Chai - Add ground cardamom and ginger for a warm and aromatic flavor, like in chai mug cake. Serve with a dollop of vegan whipped cream.
• Apple - Fold in diced apples along with cinnamon like in apple waffles recipe. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
• Chocolate chip - Stir in semi sweet chocolate chips like in pumpkin mug cake.
• Nutella - Swirl Nutella into the batter for a delightful chocolate twist.

1 & 2. Mix all purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder and salt together.

3. Seperate the eggs, add egg whites into a medium bowl and beat the egg whites using an electric beater until thick and peaks begin to form. Set aside.

4. Add egg yolks, milk, pumpkin puree and melted butter and whisk until combined well.

5. Combine all the wet ingredients until smooth and evenly mixed.

6. Add the flour mixture and fold using a rubber spatula until it just combined.

7 & 8. Add the beaten egg whites and fold gently until it is evenly combined.

Pro tip: The air trapped in whipped egg whites expand during cooking, leading to a light and fluffy pumpkin waffles.

Cook waffles according to manufacture's instructions, until deep golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

How to serve?

Serve pumpkin waffles hot with a simple pat of softened salted butter and warm maple syrup. They can also be elevated when serving for friends and family during the Holidays with tasty toppings options:

• Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.
• Fresh fruits like sliced bananas or cooked apples.
• A dollop of freshly whipped cream.
• Salted caramel sauce.
• Toasted and chopped candied pecans or candied almonds.
• Vanilla ice cream with Nutella or caramel sauce.

Tip: If serving for a large group, place cooked pumpkin waffles on top of a wire rack placed on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200-degree oven until serving time.

Storage and reheating

Leftover pumpkin waffles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

To reheat:

• Toaster - My favorite way to re heat them is to pop one or two frozen waffles in a bread toaster, until hot and crisp.
• Oven - Place the frozen waffles directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until heated through and crispy.
• Microwave - Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, flipping the waffles between intervals, until heated through. Microwaving may result in softer waffles compared to toasting or baking.
• Air fryer - Cook for 5-8 minutes at 360 degrees, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.

Helpful tips

• Cook pumpkin waffles until they get a deep golden brown. It took 6 minutes in my waffle iron.
• Use light or golden brown sugar and not dark brown. Dark brown sugar might brown them too much before they have to crisp up.
• Fold the egg whites gently, making sure that you don't lose much of the air, causing them to deflate.
• Use pumpkin pie spice along with cinnamon.
• Cold eggs straight out of the refrigerator are easier to separate.
• Use 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.