Spiced Oatmeal Waffles With Maple Pecan Syrup

Okay, don't laugh! I know I should have taken a photo before half of my breakfast was gone, but I got caught up in the enthusiasm of the meal. Everyone was so excited about homemade waffles they didn't want to wait for a photo shoot....lol. We bought a cheap little waffle iron, because I'm a stickler for food made from scratch. The fun of cooking from scratch is that if I want pumpkin waffles I can do that, or as in this case I used oatmeal flour made from toasted oats. These were such a hit, I don't think I would be tempted to try the "basic" all white flour waffle recipe. I learned some tips as I scoured the internet for recipe ideas. One is, the professional waffle houses make their batter the night before. I didn't realize I could toast oats and then blend them up into flour, yay! Buttermilk is a must, and you don't have to beat egg whites separate if you have a good buttermilk recipe. These waffles were soft on the inside and crisp out. I did make changes to assure that, such as half butter half oil, and a dab more sugar than this recipe called for. Enough gabbing and on to the recipe. Oh, as a credit to the original creator, Alton Brown, this is his recipe for the most part, but I tweaked it and will tell you the difference.

Spiced Oatmeal Waffles - (the night before you want these make up the batter)

5 1/2 ounces oats, toasted in a dry skillet
4 ounces flour
3 T. brown sugar  (Alton uses white) plus one T. white sugar, my addition
3 eggs
2 T. each melted butter and oil   (Alton uses all butter)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice  (my addition)
1 t. vanilla    (my addition)
Toast your oats in a dry skillet, watching to make sure they don't burn. When cooled whir in a blender or food processor until flour like consistency. In a glass bowl or 4 c. measuring cup combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, fats, vanilla and buttermilk. Gently mix into dry ingredients. Don't beat too vigorously and don't worry about lumps. You want light fluffy waffles and over beating will make them tough. Cover and refrigerate over night, which is not a recommendation from Alton but several others did say that helped make the batter thick and certainly didn't seem to hurt anything. Take out about 30 minutes prior to cooking the waffles. This will make 6 large 4 section waffles. Follow the instructions on your waffle maker. Mine is a small Rival which makes to square waffles at a time and I figured out that a quarter of a cup of batter on each side was enough. Now for the syrup.

Butter Pecan Maple Syrup
2 T. butter
1/3 c. chopped pecans
1 c. maple syrup

In a small saucepan melt the butter and cook the pecans lightly. Add the syrup and heat til very warm. Serve with the waffles or any favorite pancake, or french toast recipe. Enjoy!