Pumpkin Waffles — The Warmth That Waits at the End of a Long Fall Day

Columbus Day and the apple orchard. This is the fourth year running and the children have grown into it: Teddy is nine and brings serious picking efficiency, Anna is six and brings enthusiasm and consumption, James is three and brought, this year, an opinion about which apples were best (the reddest ones, regardless of variety, which is not a sophisticated criterion but which I respect for its consistency). Ben at five is developing a method. Lucy at almost two and a half picked up every apple she could reach and handed them to Sarah with the satisfaction of someone who has found their role.

Helen made cider doughnuts again when we got home, the same recipe as every year, and the kitchen smelled exactly the way it always smells at this time, in this kitchen, when this project is underway. James ate one and a half and fell asleep on the couch under the throw quilt that has been on that couch since before he was born, in the way small children fall asleep when the day has given them exactly enough. It was the same moment his father gave me at the same age. Some things repeat so precisely that you wonder if they are memories or the same thing happening again.

I split wood with David in the afternoon, as I did last year. He is better at it than he gives himself credit for, which is a Bergstrom problem. We are not good at crediting ourselves. We are very good at seeing it in others and not saying it, which is a related problem. I gave him credit for the wood-splitting, directly. He said it was fine, which means he heard it. The Bergstrom men say "it's fine" when something is not fine in the bad sense but in the satisfying sense. Same words, different meaning. Forty years of being a Bergstrom man and I still have to translate sometimes.

Helen’s cider doughnuts are hers — the recipe lives in her handwriting in a spiral notebook I am not permitted to touch — but the morning after an orchard day, when the children are slow and the house still smells faintly of apples and wood smoke, I have my own contribution to make. Pumpkin waffles have become that contribution: same season, same spices in the air, something I can do with James on the step stool beside me while Helen sleeps in. The batter comes together quickly enough that you don’t lose the morning to it, and the result is the kind of breakfast that makes a Saturday feel like it was designed for you specifically.

Pumpkin Waffles

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6 waffles

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Maple syrup and whipped cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the waffle iron. Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions and lightly grease with nonstick spray or melted butter.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Whip the egg whites. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer or whisk until soft peaks form. This step keeps the waffles light and crisp at the edges.
5. Bring the batter together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites in two additions, taking care not to deflate them.
6. Cook the waffles. Ladle about 3/4 cup of batter onto the prepared waffle iron. Close and cook until the steam subsides and the waffle is deep golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes depending on your iron. Repeat with remaining batter.
7. Serve warm. Transfer finished waffles to a wire rack in a 200°F oven to keep warm while you finish the batch. Serve with maple syrup and whipped cream.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg