Recipe for Pumpkin-Orange Waffles with Hazelnut-Maple Syrup Butter

Pumpkin-Orange Waffles with Hazelnut-Maple Syrup Butter

from A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash by Lou Seibert Pappas

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup puréed pumpkin or winter squash, canned or homemade
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Hazelnut-Maple Syrup Butter:

1/3 cup hazelnuts
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Makes about eight 7-inch round waffles. Serves 6

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in
A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash
by Lou Seibert Pappas from Chronicle Books

Toasted hazelnuts in whipped butter lend a decadent crunch to these golden waffles for a real treat for brunch. The waffles freeze very well, ready to reheat in a toaster or regular oven at 300°F until hot throughout. It is smart to toast and skin a quantity of hazelnuts in advance so they are ready to pop into the sweet butter.

To make the Hazelnut-Maple Syrup Butter, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a baking pan. Bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the hazelnuts between paper towels while they are still warm, letting the papery skins fall off. Chop the nuts finely.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and syrup and beat with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Scrape into a serving bowl. (Or, heat the butter, syrup, and nuts, stir, and pour into a pitcher.)

Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat or whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin, milk, orange juice, and melted butter. In another medium bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium high speed, beat the egg whites until soft, glossy peaks form. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the egg whites.

Spoon or pour about 3/4 cup batter onto the hot iron. Close the lid. Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the waffle is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a fork to a warmed plate. Serve at once or keep warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Pass the Hazelnut-Maple Syrup Butter with the warm waffles.