Carrot Cake Waffles with Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread

 

I know I've already posted a breakfast recipe this week, but there's just something so comforting and filling about breakfast food... especially waffles.

I love mixing different food concepts together. In this case, we have moist carrot cake and fluffy light waffles! Sounds delicious, right? But then we sealed together each carrot cake waffle with creamy maple nut spread, then smothered it all in syrup, and topped with chopped walnuts. I mean, what more could there be? (besides bacon). I fell in love with the familiar carrot cake spices. And we all know that cream cheese is the only way to go with carrot cake frosting, so it was perfectly fitting as a spread. The flavors in this dish are incredible.

While I prepared the spiced butter and waffle batter, Ryan peeled and grated the carrots and made the spread. It was a perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon together while the manchild slept off his adventures after church. Our little guy LOVED the waffle pieces (and I was happy he was getting in a little more veggies without even knowing it). We were stuffed, and pleasantly full the rest of the night. 

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Carrot Cake Waffles with Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread

 recipe from Willow Bird Baking

Waffles:

2 cups flour

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1 t allspice

1 3/4 C buttermilk

2 eggs, separated

4 T butter

1/2 t vanilla

1/4 t almond extract (optional)

1 C walnuts, chopped

1/2 C grated carrots

Cooking Spray for Waffle Iron

Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread  

8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)

3-4 T maple syrup

1/8 C chopped walnuts

Heat 4 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is barely light brown, about another 3 minutes. Add spices and cook, stirring constantly for about 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Combine dry ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Mix together the buttermilk and egg yolks. Stir in the spiced butter and vanilla. Spray waffle iron and preheat it. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Beat egg whites with a whisk in a separate bowl until they hold soft peaks. Stir hem gently into the batter. Add carrots and walnuts, stirring gently to combine.

Spread about a 1/2 cup of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, depending on your iron. Spray iron with cooking spray between waffles as needed.

To make spread, combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve waffles immediately with a spread of maple cream cheese- it's yummy this way, because it gets all melty and delicious.

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