Gingerbread Waffles with Lemon Cream

 

Here we are again on the precipice of Christmas 2021 and once more it is not the Christmas we had hoped for.  My son and his family were supposed to drive over from New Brunswick to spend Christmas with me.

He had a car rented and everything. I bought air beds, bedding, pillows, etc. and it has all been for naught because of that darned virus.  We do what we must however, hope for happier times in the future, and  dream of a day when we can all once more spend time together safely.

 

Just because it is not the Christmas of our dreams however, it doesn't mean it cannot still be Merry and if you are lucky enough to have people, be it family or friends in your bubble that live close by, you can still celebrate it in a more subdued form.

Even if you are only you, that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy the day and eat some of the foods that make you happy.  

 

I had bought this gingerbread man mini waffle maker in anticipation of whipping up gingerbread man waffles for the grandsons and family on Christmas morning.  I will still get to do that at some point, but in the meantime decided to treat myself anyways! 

I just used the waffle recipe which came with the waffle maker. It makes 8 tiny round waffles, or you can make 4 regular sized waffles if that is the only size machine you have. 

Aren't they just the cutest thing?  I thought so. They will still be cute in March if my family can come over then.

 

 

They sure gave off a heavenly aroma when they were baking!  I really love the smells of gingerbread.  Ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and these waffles have all of that.

They are lightly sweetened with molasses, which is another flavor you expect in a gingerbread. If you cannot get molasses, for instance if you are in Europe or the UK, you can mix equal parts of dark treacle and golden syrup to give you something approximating the flavor.

Or you could use honey or maple syrup.  All work well. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GINGERBREAD WAFFLES

Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way!

• 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1 large free range egg
• 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk
• 2 TBS molasses
• 2 TBS light olive oil 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THE LEMON CREAM

Lemon goes wonderfully with the spicy flavors of gingerbread. I often serve my gingerbread with a lush lemon butter sauce.  Today I served these delicious waffles with a delightful Lemon Cream.

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy or whipping cream (double cream)
• 2 TBS prepared lemon curd 

I usually make the lemon cream before I start making waffles or pancakes.  Its very easy to make and goes together quickly. You could even make it the night before, ready for the morning.

Whip the cream using an electric hand whisk until the cream forms stiff peaks.   Fold in the lemon curd, cover and chill until needed.

 

HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD WAFFLES

Nothing could be easier than making these simple waffles.  The batter is as easy as stirring together wet and dry ingredients which is the case in most quick breads, waffles, pancakes, etc.

Measure the flour and all of the spices and baking soda into a large bowl. Give them a good whisk together to combine.  An excellent way of making sure they are really mixed perfectly together is to sift them together using a fine sieve into the bowl.

 

Next you need to combine your wet ingredients. I measure them into a large beaker and just beat them together with a fork. 

If you don't have any buttermilk, don't fear. You can make your own facsimile by measuring 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and adding whole milk.  

 

Let the mixture sit for about five minutes so that it clabbers/sours.  Easy peasy.

Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat everything together with a fork or a whisk until well combined. It is okay if a few small lumps remain. You expect that in a quick bread such as this. 

 

What you don't want is huge streaks of dry flour or large lumps. They would not be very appealing taste wise.

Once your batter is all mixed all you have to do is to spoon it into your waffle maker and bake them according to your waffle maker's instructions. 

I like to spray my waffle maker first with a spritz of low fat non-stick cooking spray.  Just in case. I don't want anything to stick. 

 

If you wanted to dress them up you could add mini chocolate chips to the batter or you could add chopped raisins, cranberries or walnuts. All would be very nice.

Chopped candied ginger would give them a nice ginger zippidy do dah!  I'm going to do that next time.  I think you could fold some ginger syrup into the whipped cream as well, for another level of ginger flavor instead of the lemon curd.

Just a few ideas there to tempt you! 

I served mine with little heart shaped pats of butter, the lemon cream, pure maple syrup and some fresh berries.  Altogether this was very delicious.

Any extra waffles can be wrapped and frozen for a later date. They are very easy to reheat. Just pop them frozen into the toaster until thawed, heated through and crisped up!  

Delicious!  Merry Christmas everyone!  Thank you all so very much for your support over the last year! Its been a real pleasure cooking with and for you!!  I am looking forward to more tastiness in 2022!

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