Here are some waffles that just yell out ‘FALL IS HERE’ at the top of their lungs. The waffles are just slightly sweet with an undertone of warm cinnamon. To add some savory to the sweet, we slice generous wedges of Brie cheese to top the warm waffles, and then pile on some oven roasted and caramelized apples. Not done yet! For the grand finale, we reduce Honeycrisp apple cider on the stovetop until it’s thick and syrupy, and then stir just the right amount into melted butter for the final drizzle. The best news is all of this can be made in advance and heated up when you’re ready, so just right for holiday guests. And…it’s one of those dishes where you can make some or all and be happy as a clam. Only want to make the waffles? No problem – they are great on their own with butter and maple syrup. Don’t want to caramelize the apples? Forget about it!! Try the waffles with a slice of Brie and you will be howling with pleasure. It’s all up to you, so just go for whatever combination works. First we begin with the waffles. These guys are crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside. They have just enough sweetness and cinnamon to set the stage for everything else we’re going to be heaping on top of them.
We slow roasted some Granny Smith apples with a little bit of brown sugar and a drizzle of canola oil (butter is also superb of course) until they were super soft, deep brown and caramelized. You can see they are a deep brown around the edges – that spells YUM.
OK…you caught me. I took these photos before I remembered to put the sliced Brie on the waffles. YOW. So I snuck them in and reshot the photos. You catch my drift though – Brie really goes on top of the waffles and under the apples to make sure it gets all gooey and spreadable.
And now for the Honeycrisp Cider Butter. The recipe will leave you with plenty of leftover reduced Honeycrisp Cider, so you can make as much of this Cider Butter as you want. The reduced cider can also be found in some high end stores labeled ‘Boiled Cider’, and costs an arm and a leg. You can make it yourself for about 1/3 the cost of buying it remade,and it will be a lot fresher tasting. You can use your leftover cider in a ton of ways, and it keeps nearly indefinitely in the fridge, so feel free to get as creative as you like. I love it drizzled on roasted carrots and squash, or added to rice and grains for some sass and sweetness.
Hope you enjoy this one – it was really fun to make. Happy almost-Thanksgiving!! Thanks for reading today. xoxoxox
Cinnamon Waffles with Brie, Roasted Apples & Honeycrisp Cider Butter
Ingredients
- FOR THE WAFFLES
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- FOR THE BRIE
- About ¼ pound Brie cheese sliced about ¼ inch thick
- FOR THE ROASTED APPLES
- 10 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and sliced
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- Approximately 2 tablespoons brown sugar agave or honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- FOR THE HONEYCRISP CIDER BUTTER
- 2 quarts Honeycrisp Apple Cider
- 2 sticks of butter
Instructions
- FOR THE WAFFLES
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk, eggs, canola oil and vanilla until well mixed.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until all of the ingredients are combined.
- Heat waffle iron and brush canola oil onto the grids on the iron.
- Make waffles according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Waffles can be held in a warm oven until ready to serve.
- FOR THE ROASTED APPLES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray liberally with cooking spray.
- Arrange the sliced apples on the foil, then drizzle with canola oil and agave. Sprinkle with salt.
- Roast until apples are soft and caramelized. They will be a darkish brown in color.
- Remove from oven and keep warm until serving, or refrigerate and reheat when ready to use.
- FOR THE HONEYCRISP CIDER BUTTER
- Pour cider into a large saucepan, and cook on medium heat until mixture reduces by half or a little more. Cider should become thickened and intensely flavored.
- Melt the butter either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Stir 4 tablespoons reduced cider into the melted butter. Taste it to see if it’s the flavor you want. Add additional reduced cider until the flavor is just right for you.
- Keep warm until ready to serve.
- NOTE: You will have extra reduced Cider – this is a very good thing and stays good for weeks in the refrigerator. Drizzle on roasted squash or other roasted fall vegetables and is really good served over chicken – use your imagination! This stuff has hundreds of uses.
- TO SERVE
- Place waffles on the plate (or platter if you are serving a crowd).
- Place a nice wedge of Brie on top of the waffle(s).
- Arrange roasted apples on top of Brie.
- Drizzle the whole works with Honeycrisp Apple Cider Butter
- PS: Not too bad of an idea to make additional Cider Butter for passing at the table.