Buttermilk Gingerbread Waffles

If Christmas had a flavour, it would be gingerbread, so let’s start the day off right with these light and airy Buttermilk Gingerbread Waffles! These super easy-to-prepare homemade waffles are piled high and generously dressed with warm syrup and a pat of butter.

Gingerbread is most commonly eaten at Christmastime. Why is that? Why do we only eat the most delicious things once a year? It’s like those of us who save our best china for when company comes to visit. Why does the company deserve better than our own family? I say that life is too short to not use the fine china every day if you have it. And, just like the fancy dishes, apply the same logic to eating really tasty food for breakfast too – just like these Buttermilk Gingerbread Waffles!

For years, I have seen waffle recipes being shared predominantly by American food bloggers. Seriously, what is with Americans and their love affair with waffles and pancakes? I shouldn’t be surprised! Isn’t IHOP an American-based restaurant chain? Speaking of IHOP, have you eaten at one? I’ve only been twice and I think once was in Milwaukee and the other was in Niagara Falls. Nevertheless, I can’t let my American blogger friends have all the fun. I’ve jumped on the waffle bandwagon too!

I CAN TOTALLY GET BEHIND THIS GADGET!

John.e has heard me talk about those recipes enough. So, for Christmas last year, he surprised me with a waffle maker. I love kitchen appliances, but I think long and hard about buying them because I cannot stand the thought of owning an appliance that never gets used. Seriously, it took me years to buy an Instant Pot! And, we just got a microwave two years ago! Did I really need a waffle maker?

Well, it turns out, I did! Since there’s just the two of us, he bought the cutest little waffle maker. And, he kept true to my appliance brand of choice – Breville! This is the exact model I have. I really didn’t know I needed a waffle maker until I got one and tried it. I’m hooked and these waffles are proof that the gift has indeed been put to good use already.

I’m going to tell you all about this breakfast recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to review the other Christmas recipes I have shared this holiday season. The last week of October, I finished up my first holiday recipe series for this year, called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts. Then, I shared Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. Just last week, I shared the last recipe in my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas series. I still can’t believe that was Volume 6 of that series!

And now, with Christmas just a short time away, I’m kicking off this next series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts!

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts. This series will focus on easy-to-make and some make-ahead breakfasts that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require some baking, but they won’t be too complex that you can’t whip them up on Christmas morning, especially if you’re an early riser. Some are just assembly-type recipes, while others can be prepared in advance.

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfast series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

WAFFLE TALK

Did you know that all waffles are waffles, but not all waffles are Belgian waffles? I used to think that waffles were called Belgian because that was where they were invented. Later, I thought that it had something to do with the flavour or the ingredients. Turns out, I was wrong on both counts – they are Brussels Waffles named for the capital city they originated from!

The Belgian waffle made its first American appearance at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. But, at the 1965 World’s Fair in Queens, N.Y, Maurice Vermersch, a Belgian native, and his family, are responsible for the popularity of the waffle we are most familiar with today. They served waffles at the fair in two ways. One way was the crispy outside and airy inside waffle which was served plain. And, the other was with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Apparently, the demand was so great, there was a team of 10 people just slicing strawberries!

The family understood how little the rest of the world knew about Belgium and decided that calling them Brussels waffles would hinder its popularity, so Belgian waffles were born. They may have been flexible with the name, but not so much about maintaining the proper way to eat them. One of the daughters said that her mother refused to provide forks and knives to customers because that was not how they were eaten on the streets in Belgium. Don’t you just love food history!?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Buttermilk – Even though you can make your own buttermilk at home, store-bought is best for this recipe.
• Butter – To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Vanilla Extract
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Sugar – The sugar will help the batter to spread, and will create a crispness to the waffle.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and it helps to enhance and balance sweetness.
• Spices – You will need ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.
• Nonstick Cooking Spray

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK GINGERBREAD WAFFLES

Preheat your waffle maker according to the instructions that accompany your appliance. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire cooling rack and set aside. DO NOT grease the waffle irons yet!

In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk until well combined. Pour in the melted and cooled butter and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and set aside. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves to the mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients to combine them. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and use a whisk to combine everything together. Do not completely overmix the ingredients. A few small lumps are fine and encouraged.

Now you can coat the waffle irons. DO NOT use butter! Use a non-stick cooking spray. Butter will burn and some of the water content will evaporate after each use, so by waffle number three, there is bound to be sticking. Avoid sticking by using non-stick cooking spray!

Depending on the size of your waffle maker, scoop out the desired amount of waffle batter and position it right onto the center of the bottom iron. (I’m using 1/2 cup of batter for each waffle.) Close the waffle maker lid and cook according to your maker’s instructions.  Cook in batches, keeping cooked waffles warm by placing them onto the prepared baking sheet and keeping them in the preheated oven. Top with syrup, sugared cranberries, and candied nuts.

RECIPE TIPS AND TRICKS

• In the photos, I stacked the waffles four high. You can certainly do less or more to suit your needs. In fact, these are quite filling, especially with all of the bells and whistles, so one whole waffle just might be enough!
• Keep your waffles warm between batches by placing cooked waffles on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack. Waffles should be positioned in a single layer. Keep them in the oven at 200 degrees.
• Leftover waffles, if they have not been layered with toppings, can be frozen. Place cooled waffles in a food-safe, resealable bag and push out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to a month. Reheat by popping frozen waffles in the toaster for about 45-60 seconds.

THE ORIGINS OF GINGERBREAD

The history of gingerbread is quite the story, and quite lengthy too.  I love to learn about where food comes from and why we make food items the way we do. Gingerbread is no exception.  The origins of gingerbread can be traced back to the year 992. It was created by an Armenian monk.  He was responsible for teaching the French how to bake gingerbread.

In the 13^th century, the Germans brought gingerbread to Sweden. Swedish nuns adopted gingerbread; they believed it to be medicinal and would help with issues like indigestion.  They were responsible for the decoration of gingerbread and would paint them to look like church windows.

Fast forward to the 17^th century. Gingerbread was being sold in pharmacies and town squares, again for medicinal purposes.  Eventually, gingerbread found its way to North America and was first recorded in a cookbook dated 1796.

WE LOVE GINGERBREAD!

Lord Byron’s Kitchen is certainly no stranger to the wonderful spices that make up the awesomeness that is gingerbread. But, when it comes to gingerbread recipes itself, I’m afraid my blog is lacking.  I have my Gingerbread Bundt Cake and my Gingerbread Truffles.  There’s just so much more to do with the flavours of gingerbread!

I think when most of us hear the term gingerbread, we automatically think of an icing-covered, candy-coated, barely-standing-up-straight, too-tough-to-bite, cookie house at Christmastime.  I used to love helping and watching McKenna decorate those when she was a kid, but Lord, it was messy!

My worry was that the cats were going to eat the icing and we all know just how that would end up!  The gingerbread house was never eaten.  It was always too hard, and by the time we got around to it, it had been sitting for a few days.  Gross. Trust me, you won’t have to worry about that with any of my gingerbread-based recipes because they won’t be sitting around for too long at all!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!