Pumpkin & Almond Waffles

Green Kitchen Travels

Posted by Hardie Grant

About

Makes 10 waffles

Before our first visit to the USA, we kept pumpkins only as decoration. They are also grown in Europe but have never been as popular or creatively used in recipes as in the States. After spending a few months on the West Coast during pumpkin season, we quickly learned that they can be used in practically any kind of recipe – sweet or savoury. On our trip we made sure to try pumpkin pie, cheesecake and muffins, pumpkin soup and
salad, pumpkin pancakes and even pumpkin spice coffee. But of all the sweet combinations, we grew most fond of the spiced pumpkin waffles that we tried in a diner just south of Big Sur, California. They were served
with a slab of maple butter and after our third plate we were in a food coma for the rest of the day. We created these with a similar mixture of spices but slightly lighter, using almond flour and buttermilk. They are still quite rich, so two waffles are usually enough for one person. If pumpkins are out of season, you can use two cups mashed ripe banana instead of the pumpkin purée.

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You Will Need (16 things)

  • 1 Small Pumpkin or butternut squash, about 700g (1lb 10 oz) or 500 g (1lb 2 oz/2 cups) unsweetened pumpkin purée
  • 6 Eggs
  • 250 ml Cultured Buttermilk
  • 120 ml Water
  • 210 g Almond Flour
  • 60 g Buckwheat Flour
  • 2 tbsp Maple Syrup or clear honey (preferably unheated), plus extra to serve
  • 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • ½ tsp Ground Cloves
  • ½ tsp Sea Salt
  • A little cold-pressed coconut oil or Butter

  • To Serve

  • Plain Yoghurt
  • Raw Raspberry & Chia Jam

Steps (3 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 200 0C (40 0F/Gas 6). Halve the
    pumpkin with a sharp knife and remove the seeds with a
    spoon. Place both halves on a baking tray, cut side down,
    and bake in the oven for 30–40 minutes or until the skin is
    bubbly and slightly browned and the flesh is soft. Remove
    the pumpkin from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of
    minutes. Spoon out the flesh into a bowl. Use a fork
    (or a food processor) to mash it to a purée.

  2. 2

    Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Measure
    500 g (1lb 2 oz/2 cups) pumpkin purée and add to the bowl
    together with the remaining ingredients except the coconut
    oil or butter. Stir until well combined. Let the batter rest for
    15 minutes in the fridge. This is an important step, as the
    waffles hold together better when baking.

  3. 3

    Turn on your waffle iron and wait until it is hot. Brush
    the grids with a little coconut oil or butter then add about
    4 tablespoons of the batter (less or more depending on
    your waffle iron) and close the lid. The waffle should be
    ready after about 1ó minutes. Open the lid slowly and use
    a fork to carefully detach it from the iron. Repeat for the
    remaining waffles. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and the
    Raw Raspberry & Chia Jam and a drizzle of maple syrup.