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Ingredients
- Waffles:
- 2 C all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 3/4 C buttermilk (or 1 1/2 C sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 C milk)
- 2 eggs, separated
- 4 Tbs butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 C raisins
- 1 C walnuts, chopped
- 1 1/2 C finely grated carrots
- Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3-4 Tbs maple syrup
- 2 Tbs chopped walnuts
Preparation
Step 1
1. Bloom the spices in butter**: Heat 4 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda.
3. Mix together the buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute) and the egg yolks. Stir in the spiced butter and vanilla. Spray the waffle iron well and preheat it. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients.
4. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a whisk or electric mixer (make sure bowl and mixer are spotlessly clean) until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter. Add carrots, walnuts, and raisins. Stir gently to combine.
5. Spread a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter onto greased waffle iron and bake.
6. To make Maple Cream Cheese spread, simply combine nuts, syrup, and cream cheese and mix well. Serve waffles immediately with a schmear of Maple Cream Cheese spread (which will get lovely and melty), or keep them warm for a few minutes in a low oven.***
* The buttermilk can be substituted with 1 1/4 cups of milk at room temperature, mixed with two tablespoons white vinegar, left to clabber for 10 minutes.
**If you prefer a quicker breakfast, you can melt and cool the butter plain instead of browning it and blooming the spices in it — but doing so does add flavor. If you do skip the spice blooming, simply add the spices to the dry ingredients in step 2. Add your plain melted, cooled butter instead of the spiced butter in step 3.
*** Waffles also freeze well. You can make a big batch, allow them to cool, and freeze them.