Pumpkin Pecan Waffles
These Pumpkin Pecan Waffles come straight from a vintage Dorothy Dean newspaper clipping, and the old-fashioned trick is folding in whipped egg whites. Canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and chopped pecans make them taste like the holidays, and they’re ready in about 45 minutes. Make a batch for Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas morning, or freeze them ahead and pop them in the toaster!
Servings 6 Waffles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour sifted
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 3 Eggs separated
- 1¾ Cups Milk
- ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ Cup Pumpkin canned
- ½ Cup Pecans chopped
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks.
- Beat the milk, vegetable oil, pumpkin, and pecans into the egg yolks.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until mixed. Batter will be lumpy.
- Beat the egg whites until they form short, moist peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture.
- Bake in preheated waffle iron until done. *Every waffle iron is different so follow the instructions for your particular model.
Notes
Helpful Tips:
- Beat the whites to soft peaks. Dorothy Dean says “short, moist peaks,” which means the tips flop over when you lift the beaters. If you beat them until they look dry and stiff, they’re harder to fold in.
- Fold, don’t stir. Use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the batter until you don’t see big white streaks. Stirring knocks the air out, and that air is what gives these waffles their lift.
- Lumps are okay. When you mix the wet and dry ingredients, stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing makes waffles tough and dense.
- Cook the batter right away. Once the egg whites are folded in, head straight to the waffle iron. The whites start to deflate the longer the batter sits.
- Preheat your waffle iron all the way. A fully hot iron cooks the waffles evenly from the first one to the last. Most irons have a light that tells you when they’re ready.
- Grease it, even if it’s nonstick. A light coat of cooking spray before each waffle keeps them from sticking, especially with the sugar in the pumpkin batter.
- Fill it about ¾ full. The batter spreads and rises as it cooks, so this keeps it from oozing out the sides.
- Wait for the steam to stop. Opening the lid too early can tear your waffle in half. When the steam slows way down, it’s usually done.
- Chop the pecans small. Big pieces can keep the iron from closing evenly. Toasting them in a dry skillet for 3 to 5 minutes first gives them even more flavor.
- Keep them warm in the oven. Set your oven to 200°F and put the finished waffles on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Stacking them on a plate traps steam and makes them soggy.