Red Velvet Waffles with Bourbon Cherry Syrup

By vealam

Ingredients

• For the Waffles:
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups of buttermilk
• 1/3 cup of melted butter, cooled
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of natural red food coloring
• For the Bourbon Cherry Syrup:
• 1 pound of frozen dark sweet cherries
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 cups of light brown sugar
• 1 cup of bourbon
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole star anise
• For the cream cheese drizzle:
• 6 ounces of cream cheese (about 3/4 cup), softened
• 2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 75mins
Adapted from cookinginstilettos.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions To make the waffle batter:
In a bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, vinegar and red food coloring.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture.
Mix until everything is combined taking care to not overmix.
Let rest for 15 minutes while you make the syrup. To make the syrup:
In a saucepan, combine the cherries, water, brown sugar, bourbon, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.
Stir together until everything is combined.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat and reduce to a simmer.
Let simmer for about 10 minutes or so until the syrup is reduced by half.
Keep warm while you make the waffles. To make the cream cheese drizzle:
In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter.
Using an electric mixer, mix until everything is combined.
Add half of the confectioners’ sugar followed by half of the milk and mix.
Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and milk followed by the vanilla and mix well until it’s at a good consistency.
Set aside. To make the waffles:
Mix the batter one more time with a spatula and add some of the center of a preheated waffle iron. I added a little nonstick baking spray to my waffle iron.
Bake until everything is done and then repeat.
Keep warm until ready to serve.
To serve - drizzle the red velvet waffles with some of the bourbon cherry syrup and cream cheese glaze and enjoy!