Carrot Cake Waffles with Greek Yogurt

Whaaa?  Yep, and let’s deconstruct these right off the bat.  These waffles include: two cups of grated carrot, walnuts, whole wheat flour, apple sauce, coconut oil, and just a teeny bit of sugar.  In all actuality, they are not too far afield from our carrot muffins, they simply have a bit more liquid and fewer mix-ins.  Carrots are *still* one of the best bets at the farmer’s market right now, in fact the jumbo ones found there during winter are on the sweeter side.  You can also usually find large loose carrots at the grocery store.

And the ‘frosting’ for these carrot cake waffles?  You guessed it, Greek Yogurt.  The special strained, super versatile kind that I mentioned recently.  Here, honey is added it take it in the direction of sweet (vs savory, which we use in other recipies.)

If you need to fuel a big day with something yummy, cozy and healthy, you’ll be very happy with these!  Full disclosure, they are also an excellent stand in for comfort food when a wintry mix is falling and you’re still running around like a lunatic taking photos of stuff, or planning a workout in this weather from you know where (or both).

These waffles also keep well – I put the leftover quarters in our cake dome that sits on the counter, where morning muffins usually go.

Diving in…

Time: 1 hour

Hands-On Time: 30 – 40 mins inc cleanup

Kitchen Equipment: Waffle Iron, Microplane or box grater

Ingredients:

Dry:

– 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

– 1 Cup All Purpose Flour

– 1 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts

– 2 Tsp Cinnamon

– 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg

– 1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves

– 1 & 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

– 1 & 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

– 1/4 Tsp Salt

Wet:

– 2 Cups Finely Grated Carrots – about two large carrots, as shown.  Setting the microplane over the measuring cup seems to be the best method.  A box grater will work as well.

– 2 Eggs

– 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

– 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

– 1 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce

– 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil, melted

– 2 Cups Milk

Toppings:

– 1 – 1&1/2 Cups Strained (or regular) Greek Yogurt, with honey added to taste

– Slivered or Chopped Almonds

Steps:

– Add all the dry ingredients except the almonds to a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to throughly incorporate.

– In a separate bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients.

– Before combining ingredients, set your waffle iron on the counter and plug it in or otherwise pre-heat the iron.  Set up your eating space, including setting out the strained yogurt, almonds and a little syrup so you’re ready to enjoy the hot waffles as they come off the iron.

– Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, scraping the wet mixing bowl with a spatula as you go.

– Use your large spoon to throughly incorporate wet and dry ingredients.  The batter will be a bit thicker than typical waffle batter, but much more runny than baked items.

– Spray the waffle iron with a teeny spritz of non-stick coating.  I use Spectrum brand sprayable coconut oil, there are several choices on the market.

– Now, the fun part!  Turn the iron to the lowest setting available.  Then, using a ladle or large spoon, scoop some batter and spread it over the waffle iron.  The amount will vary depending on your iron, but it’s always less than you think you need!

– About that low setting: it’s essential to get these to come out both crispy and throughly cooked through.  Don’t make me show you the proof, I have it!  It’s worth the wait, plus you can completely clean up the prep materials as the waffles cook.  (Post-meal clean up is my nemesis.)

– Remove the waffle with a fork and arrange on a plate with the toppings as you like.  Set any you plan to save on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before covering.

Enjoy and stay warm & dry!!