Gingerbread (Pumpkin) Waffles

I have a Christmas morning breakfast idea for you.  I've been making these waffles for several years.  This waffle recipe tastes like Christmas, to me-- ginger, pumpkin, molasses, cinnamon.  They're even better when you have Vanilla-Pecan Butter to go on top.  Oh, yeah.

I had extra Vanilla Bean Pecan Butter from the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses recipe that I made.  Perfect!  The waffles are also a great way to use leftover pumpkin puree.  For those of you who feel that an unused can of opened pumpkin puree goes to waste-- freeze it.   Last year, I made my own pumpkin puree-- just to see if it's worth it.  I froze 1-cup portions into a ziploc bag, which is a very convenient to way to measure what you need.  It just so happens that you need 1 cup of pumpkin puree.   A quick thaw in a bowl of water gets you on the way in a snap.

For the dry ingredients, I'll bet that you have these in your pantry right now.  If not, then spices usually go on sale this time of year. Stock up!

(A printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.)  We need unbleached flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg.

For the wet ingredients, we need eggs and brown sugar.  We also need melted butter.

...and molasses.  I keep an opened jar of molasses (I don't use it very often) way in the back of my fridge. I don't know how long this jar has been stored, but it's still good to go.  TIP: I teensy bit of oil to my measuring cup before measuring the molasses...

...1/2 cup molasses.  1 1/2 cups milk is the last wet ingredient (I used 1% milk).

GADGET CHECK:  I received this ball whisk as one of my gifts from the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, last month.  I wasn't sure what was so special about it, and then it hit me.  Duh!  Unlike a regular whisk, I don't get big gobs of stuck dough when I whisk wet into dry ingredients.   Hold on... I'll show you.

First, we whisk all the wet ingredients.  See how easily the molasses slides right out of the measuring cup? I do this with honey, too.  

 add milk and melted butter and whisk one more time...

So, now, let's add the wet to the dry, with my new favorite ball whisk.

Check it out!  No clumps of batter on the ends.  See how easily I'm addicted to amused with kitchen gadgets? Let's make waffles...

  

Brush some butter on the waffle iron...

Warning: This recipe makes a LOT of batter.  

These smell like gingerbread cookies, as they cook. 

These deserve maple syrup.  I stopped buying commercial pancake syrup a few years ago. Have you ever read the ingredients listings? Go ahead. Look!  High fructose corn syrup?  Artificial flavors.   My family has converted over to pure maple syrup, and we'll never go back.  Maple syrup is such a versatile ingredient, too. 

 

Speaking of versatile ingredients...  I received a lovely package from Red Ape Cinnamon.  I wanted to take this cinnamon for a test drive with this recipe.  I am impressed with the products that this company provides. I like that they are very conscious of our planet.  It's a feel-good kind of product to buy, and it's the kind of quality that Ina Garten would have in mind when she says "use good cinnamon".   Their website says:

Red Ape Cinnamon™ is sustainably harvested in Indonesia from Cassia Cinnamon trees that are at least 20 years old. The Volatile Oil (V.O.) content is much higher in older trees resulting in a higher quality cinnamon.

You will notice that Red Ape Cinnamon™ is a lighter reddish brown color than the darker cinnamon you are accustomed to seeing. Only the pure inner cinnamon bark is ground and the extra outer bark that would normally dilute the final powder is disposed of. It is because of this grinding process that our cinnamon delivers a more intense cinnamon flavor experience.

You can order it on-line and I've found it at Whole Foods.  I'm going to buy this brand from now on.  I have another recipe I'll be sharing, that includes Singing Dog Pure Vanilla Extract and their Vanilla Bean Paste.  The lovely folks with this company will let me choose a reader to receive them as well. So, yes, I have another giveaway coming up with my next post. 

 The waffles are ready...

...add some Vanilla Bean-Pecan Butter (or regular butter)

...a dusting of powdered sugar looks nice

...a nice drizzle of pure maple syrup. Hungry yet?

VERDICT:  The texture of these waffle are a cross between tender and dense.  That might sound contradictory, I know. The pumpkin puree adds moisture and some density.  The ginger and cinnamon flavor really comes through, and the molasses gives that rich color and flavor, with just the right balance of sweet.

Kids will love these.  I make all of the batter and then freeze the waffles. They become homemade frozen waffles that heat well in a toaster oven.  Shall I reveal the source of this recipe?  Here it comes-- Rachel Ray. I saw this on her show at least five years ago.  It's a winner!

Thank you Red Ape Cinnamon, for sending me a generous jar of your cinnamon to try.  I love it. Seriously.  I use a lot of cinnamon, and it's nice to see that this is a sustainable product.  That means a lot to me.

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.

Enjoy!