Carrot Cake Waffles

Cake — it’s what’s for breakfast! Sure, our carrot cake-inspired waffles aren’t quite as healthy as, say, a green smoothie, but don’t you deserve a little weekend decadence? Oh yes, yes you do!
20 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking, 40 minutes total
8 to 10 waffles

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, whites and yolks separated
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup
  • Toasted pecans
  • Shaved coconut
  • Maple syrup

Preparation

  1. Mix the dry ingredients—In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.

  2.  Mix the wet ingredients—In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, and egg yolks. Beat well to ensure that egg yolks are fully incorporated. Set aside.

  3.  Make the batter—Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Stir with spatula or wooden spoon until evenly combined. Batter will be lumpy—resist the urge to overmix.

  4.  Whip the egg whites—Add egg whites to a medium bowl and whip with an electric mixer till they start to get foamy. Sprinkle with sugar and continue beating to stiff peaks.

  5.  Finish the batter—Gently fold whipped egg whites into batter until fully incorporated. Set aside to rest while waffle iron preheats.

  6.  Prep the waffle maker—Preheat oven to 200°F. Fit your GreenPan Waffle Maker with Classic or Belgian plates and turn dial to Classic or Belgian setting. Turn light/dark dial to select shading. (You may want to err on the lighter side and adjust the dial to add more time, if needed.) Press texture button to choose from fluffy to crispy. When preheat is complete, a beep will sound and “Preheat” will no longer appear on display.

  7.  Mix the topping—In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese with maple syrup till fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness level, if needed.

  8.  Make the waffles—Ladle waffle batter generously onto the center of lower plate. Working quickly, use a spatula to distribute batter evenly. (Add more batter, if needed.) Close lid. When three beeps sound, waffles are done. Use non-scratch utensils or tongs to transfer waffles to a baking sheet. Place in preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

  9.  Assemble and serve—Spread cream cheese mix on waffle squares, making two or three layers—like a cake. Add a dollop of cream cheese mix on top and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Top with shaved coconut and a drizzle of warm maple syrup, if desired.



TIPS:

When Life Gives You Zucchini—Shred it and swap it for carrots in our waffle recipe. Just be sure to squeeze out excess moisture from zucchini or the batter will be too runny.

 

Skip a Step—If you’re short on time (read: hangry), don’t worry about whipping the egg whites. Just mix the sugar in with dry ingredients. The waffles will be less fluffy, but no one will complain with a mouth full of cake for breakfast.

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