Vanilla Bean Sweet Potato Waffles

It’s pretty amazing how the body’s cravings start to change as the we move through the seasons.  I sauntered (as I do…) past the sweet potatoes in the grocery store last week and they called out to me!  I collected an arm load and nestled them in my basket, but wait… whaaat!?  I haven’t thought of a sweet potato in months.  I’ve only had eyes for watermelon, pink wine, strawberries, and other such brightly colored summer delicacies.

The days they change and our bodies want to change along with them.  That’s pretty cool.  Until next year watermelon!

First there were Mashed Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Waffles.  Proof positive that smashed potatoes can and should be waffles.  These waffles are tender, sweet, and the prettiest breakfast!

These sweet potatoes seem to be the first roast of the season!  Sweet potatoes are so malleable so if I’m roasting a few sweet potatoes I roast a lot.  They’re great for waffles (obviously), for soup, or for dinner with lots of butter and a bit of broccoli.

Let us never forget Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie.

I like to layer flavors in everything I make.  Little things make a big difference!

We’re using vanilla beans in this recipe.  Because vanilla beans can be expensive, I want to coax out as much flavor as possible!  By rubbing the scrapped vanilla beans into the brown sugar, we’re helping the vanilla bean flavor disperse through the waffle batter.  It’s luscious.

Vanilla brown sugar!

The wet ingredients are whisked together.  Eggs, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla brown sugar!  I also whisk in the mashed sweet potatoes which will thicken the wet ingredients and tint it pale orange.

Buttermilk for texture and tang.  It’s magic.

Spills are only natural.

For the dry ingredients we’re stirring together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, extra cinnamon, and extra nutmeg.

I want to make sure these waffles are super spiced.

It’s just about Pumpkin Pie Spice season, right?  No need to buy that little jar at the grocery store.  Make your own Pumpkin Pie Spice!

 Wet meets dry.  A good stir to make sure all of the dry ingredients are well incorporated.  The batter will be thick, not-so-much pourable.

Golden brown, piping hot, totally imperfect in their shape, and absolutely delicious!

These waffles are also a really wonderful substitute for… bread.  I love slathering these with peanut butter and jelly, or topping them with ham and cheese.  Seriously delicious!

Sweetness from sweet potatoes, a bit of brown sugar, and maple syrup.  It’s a balanced sweetness, not overly bonkers.  There’s still plenty of room for warm maple syrup drizzling.  My favorite part of these waffles is how wonderfully versatile they are.  Breakfast, sandwiches, a snack standing beside the toaster.  They’re a perfect weekend recipe because everyone loves waffles on the weekend, and they freeze well, making them great to grab, toast, and enjoy for a weekday breakfast.   That’s smarts!

This recipe is inspired by Chef Nathan Lyon.

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Vanilla Bean Sweet Potato Waffles

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Ingredients

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• 2 small sweet potatoes, roasted and cooled
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. To roast the potatoes, place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wrap whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes in foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet and allow to bake until a fork inserted in the potato meets no resistance. Depending on the size of your potatoes, this could take 30 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes, discard the peel, and mash well with a fork. Measure 1 cup of potatoes for the waffles.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
3. In another medium bowl combine brown sugar and vanilla beans. Use your fingers to rub the two together, infusing the brown sugar with vanilla. If you’re using vanilla extract, add vanilla to the eggs and sugar after they’re beaten together.
4. Whisk in the eggs until well combined. (Add the vanilla extract here, if using.) Whisk in the melted butter, maple syrup, and buttermilk. Stir to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine thoroughly. Allow to rest while the waffle iron heats.
6. Spray waffle iron if it isn’t already nonstick. Add waffle batter and cook according to your specific waffle iron.
7. Serve warm with pure maple syrup. These waffles also freeze very well once baked.