Breakfast

Name: Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 47 min
Yield: 8 jumbo muffins
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tbs baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbs unsalted butter, (room temperature); 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt; 1 pint blueberries, (reserving a few for topping muffins); Zest of 2 lemons; Turbinado sugar, (for topping muffins)

Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

July 19, 2018 by laurenpacek 6 Comments

These Jumbo Blueberry Muffins are BIG, full of sweet blueberries, tangy lemon zest, and have domed tops that are also crunchy (thanks to the addition of turbinado sugar)!

Sometimes a regular sized muffin just will not do. Sometimes you want a big ass muffin like you’d get in a coffee shop. Know what I’m saying? When that desire strikes, look no further than these Jumbo Blueberry Muffins.

The recipe is based on one that I’ve used before (see these Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins). Naturally, I swapped out chocolate for fresh, sweet blueberries and zingy lemon zest.

You may have started to catch on, based on recent posts in the past, but I’ve taken to photographing some of the major ingredients in my recipes. These blueberries deserved a chance to shine on their own!

Of course, you can always make regular-sized muffins from this recipe. I’ve included baking instructions (as the times will vary) for both regular and jumbo muffin varieties.

5 from 3 votes

Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

32 mins

Total Time

47 mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 jumbo muffins

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 pint blueberries, reserving a few for topping muffins
Zest of 2 lemons
Turbinado sugar, for topping muffins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray) and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.
With the mixer on low speed, alternate between adding the dry ingredients and yogurt.
On low speed, fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them all the way to the top. Top with some extra blueberries and turbinado sugar to make them look extra pretty.

If making jumbo muffins (makes 8)

Bake the muffins at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 22 more minutes, or until slightly browned on top and a toothpick/knife, when inserted in the center of each muffin, comes out clean.

If making regular-sized muffins (makes 18)

Bake the muffins at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 15 more minutes, or until slightly browned on top and a toothpick/knife, when inserted in the center of each muffin, comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Hummingbird Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

April 16, 2018 by laurenpacek 6 Comments

This Hummingbird Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is a delicious mashup of a Hummingbird Cake (a Southern classic) and banana bread.

After making Carrot Cake Cupcakes recently, and realizing that I had an overabundance of overly ripe bananas (as usual), I got to thinking about other dessert recipes that used lots of fruit and or vegetables.

After some searching, I landed on Hummingbird Banana bread. It’s full of crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, and mashed bananas (duh). The pineapple and bananas keep it really moist, while the coconut and pecans keep things interesting in terms of texture. It’s all slathered with some sweet, but not too sweet, cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with more chopped pecans.

This recipe comes from A Latte Food.

5 from 1 vote

Hummingbird Banana Bread

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

55 mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 loaves

Ingredients

For the bread

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
8 oz crushed pineapple, with juice
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups bananas (about 3-4 medium-sized), mashed
1/3 cup pecans, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

To make the bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray or butter. Set them aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract. Next, add the egg, one at a time. Beat until combined.
Add the pineapple, shredded coconut, and mashed bananas to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir until they are just combined.
Add the pecans and stir until they are just distributed throughout.
Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans.
Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick, when inserted into the center, comes out clean.
Allow the loaves to cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before removing them from the pans to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the cream cheese frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until they are well combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
Spread the frosting over the cooled loaves. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Recipe Notes

Notes:

The listed preparation time does not include the time required to let the banana bread cool.
Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Want more banana bread-y recipes? Take a look at my Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Banana Bread, Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread, and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies!

Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls

April 11, 2018 by laurenpacek Leave a Comment

Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls: have sweeter words ever been said? I really do not think so.

In my opinion, nothing quite beats a warm, homemade cinnamon roll on a lazy weekend morning. The only thing that makes that experience better is not having to wake up hours in advance so that you can let the dough rise, make the rolls, let them rise again, bake them, and then eat them.

This recipe allows you to do a lot of the prep work the night before, saving you valuable time the next morning. You can sleep in, luxuriate on the couch with a cup of coffee, and still have your cinnamon rolls in a reasonable amount of time.

The night before, you’ll need to make the dough and assemble the rolls. Cover them tightly with plastic wrap and tuck them into the fridge until the next morning. Once you wake up, remove them from the fridge and let them sit on the counter for about half an hour. This ought to give you enough time to preheat the oven, make a cup of coffee, and scroll through your Twitter feed.

Next, pop the cinnamon rolls into the oven, let them bake up golden-brown, and slather them with cream cheese icing. And there you have it: homemade, make-ahead cinnamon rolls in a fraction of the time.

Though I have made these in anticipation of a work-from-home snow day for just my husband and myself, these are really great for when you have company. Doing the heavy lifting the night before allows you to spend time with your guests after everyone wakes up, rather than being stuck in the kitchen. A group of friends are coming to stay with us over Memorial Day Weekend, and I know that I’ll be making these for them.

The basic recipe for these cinnamon rolls comes from Jo Cooks. I modified the baking instructions so that they can be made in advance–up to the night before you want to bake them!

Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

1 hr 25 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the Dough

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup milk, lukewarm
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling

1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tbs cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

For the icing

6 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

To make the dough

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast should start to froth and bubble a bit.
Add the sugar, butter, kosher salt, eggs, and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until well incorporated.
Pour the milk and yeast mixture over the flour mixture. Using the dough hook, mix until everything is well incorporated.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray (or lightly coat it in vegetable oil). Place the dough into the bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

To make the filling

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the room temperature butter and mash everything into a paste. Set aside.
To make the rolls
Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 16 inches long and 12 inches wide. The dough will be approximately ¼-inch thick.
Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
Cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch slices, and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap. Pop the rolls into the fridge overnight.
To bake the cinnamon rolls
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and let them rise for about 30 minutes
Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they golden brown.

To make the icing

While the cinnamon rolls are baking, with an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and kosher salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
Slather the hot cinnamon rolls with icing.

Recipe Notes

Notes: The preparation time does not include the time that the rolls spend in the fridge overnight.

If you want to make the cinnamon rolls right away, rather than letting them rise overnight, follow these instructions:

Once you have placed the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking pan, cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise for about 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Make the icing and ice the cinnamon rolls as directed above.

Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins

September 29, 2017 by laurenpacek 2 Comments

These Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins are sweet, flavored with Fall spices, and incredibly moist thanks to the addition of roasted sweet potatoes.

Up until today, it has still been HOT in North Carolina. Despite what the thermometer says, it’s Fall in my heart (and according to the calendar).

Pumpkin gets a lot of attention this time of year. I’m as guilty as the next guy of this, too. I love pumpkin. I’m a certified basic bitch, okay?

BUT there are other seasonal vegetables that deserve our attention. Take the humble sweet potato, for instance. They’re naturally sweet and delicious, a vibrant orange color, and perfect in baked goods.

These muffins are super moist, just like a pumpkin quick bread, and the honeyed pecans add a nice bit of crunch. They’re perfect for breakfast or a snack.

These muffins will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

40 mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup apple sauce, or vegetable oil
2 cups sweet potato, about 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, roasted and mashed
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped, plus more for topping the muffins
honey, for drizzling onto muffins

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together. Set aside.
In another medium-sized bowl, combine the sugars, eggs, oil, and mashed sweet potato until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the pecan pieces.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups (they will be very full). Top with a few more pecan pieces. Drizzle the top of each muffin with a little honey. The honey helps the pecans on top to get candied a bit while baking.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

In search of additional sweet potato goodness? Check out these Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies! Or maybe you’re on the hunt for more breakfast treats? Try these Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans on for size.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

February 7, 2017 by laurenpacek 3 Comments

This Slow Cooker Oatmeal–made with steel cut oats–is a healthy, filling, make-ahead breakfast for the entire week!

I have good intentions. I really do. Like, every weekday I intend to get up early enough to make myself a healthy breakfast before running out the door. Does this always happen? Definitely not.

Meal prepping really helps with this issue. I make a big batch of something on Sunday afternoons (like these Make-Ahead Omelet Muffins), portion it out, and then all I have to do is grab something from the fridge on my way out the door.

This winter, slow cooker oatmeal has been my go-to. Mix some ingredients up in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. And you can change up the flavors however you see fit, which helps to prevent breakfast boredom. Plus, it’s healthy. Win-win-win. Just heat the oatmeal up in the microwave and you’re off and running.

Before making this for the first time, I had concerns about how the consistency of the oatmeal would hold up over the course of a work week. No need to worry, though! Because the steel cut oats retain their slightly chewy texture, rather than just turning to mush.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 5 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Basic steel cut oatmeal:

1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 cups milk and/or water

Optional add-ins:

Spices (cinnamon, pumpkin spice, etc.)
Sweeteners (maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, brown sugar, etc.)
Toppings (nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit)

Instructions

To make basic steel cut oatmeal

Place the steel cut oats, salt, and milk/water in a greased (either butter or cooking spray) slow cooker and whisk to combine.
Cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. Stir everything around once or twice during the cooking process.

Optional add-ins

If you'd like to dress this oatmeal up a bit, feel free to add spices and/or sweeteners of your choice along with all of the other ingredients. I generally don't add any of the suggested toppings until I'm ready to eat.

Recipe Notes

Notes: Cow's milk, almond milk, water, and a combination of any of those 3 work well. Other non-dairy milks—such as coconut—may also work, though I haven't tried using them.

Chai Spice Chocolate Chunk Muffins

October 11, 2016 by laurenpacek 2 Comments

Sweet, spicy, and studded with dark chocolate: these muffins are perfect for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Chai Spiced Chocolate Chunk Muffins | A Nerd Cooks

So, there have been a lot of muffins (see Apple Oat Streusel and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip) with big Fall flavors ’round these parts lately. For this I will not apologize. Also can we talk about how my computer does not recognize “streusel” as being an actual word?

Continuing on the Fall flavor train, these muffins are pretty aggressively spiced, resulting in prominent chai spice flavor. I feel like pumpkin spice gets all the action, but we shouldn’t forget about chai. It’s spicy and warm, and perfect for this time of year. Chai Spiced Chocolate Chunk Muffins | A Nerd Cooks

This recipe is based on the one from these Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins.

You’ll need (makes 16-18 muffins):

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
2 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
3.5 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.

With the mixer on low speed, alternate between adding the dry ingredients and yogurt.

Fold in the the chopped chocolate.

Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling them all the way to the top. Bake the muffins at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. This step is crucial to getting those high-domed, bakery style muffin tops.

Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 15 more minutes, or until slightly browned on top and a toothpick/knife, when inserted in the center of each muffin, comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chai Spiced Chocolate Chunk Muffins | A Nerd Cooks

Apple Oat Streusel Muffins

October 3, 2016 by laurenpacek 3 Comments

These muffins are moist, tender, and full of apples and fall flavors. Apple Oat Streusel Muffins | A Nerd Cooks Yes, it’s muffins again. If you’ll recall, I shared these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with you all a couple of weeks ago.

But now we’re back with another really great fall flavor combination: apples and cinnamon. They’re really tender, and an unrealistic part of me likes to think that they’re sort of healthy because they’re full of apples, coconut oil, and oats. See other apple and cinnamon-related goodness here: Apple Crisp.

This recipe comes from Celebrating Sweets.

You’ll need (makes 12 muffins):

For the muffins –

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
3/4 cup cooked plain oatmeal
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup finely chopped apple (I used Gala and left the skin on)

For the streusel –

2 tbs all-purpose flour
2 tbs old fashioned oats
2 tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, oatmeal, and applesauce. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Add the apple and stir until combined.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.

Make the streusel – In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon. Work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles wet sand.

Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick, when inserted into the center, comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

September 22, 2016 by laurenpacek 4 Comments

These muffins are moist and tender, full of pumpkin flavor, and studded with mini chocolate chips. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | A Nerd Cooks Though I generally use pumpkin in my cooking and baking year-round, it’s now officially Fall. It’s that time of year where we all turn into basic bitches. Pumpkin recipes are fully acceptable. Prepare yourselves.

Actually, I take that back. Sort of. I’m going to try to exercise some amount of restraint this year. If I can’t limit the overall quantity, I’ll at least make an effort to scatter non pumpkin recipes throughout the coming months. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | A Nerd Cooks

Pumpkin and chocolate really do play well together, though, and are perfect in these muffins.

See this pumpkin cheesecake (with an Oreo crust and chocolate bourbon sauce!) and these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for more examples. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | A Nerd Cooks

This recipe is slightly adapted from Sweet and Savoury Pursuits.

You’ll need (makes 12 muffins):

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil (or apple sauce)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for on top of muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together . Set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, combine the sugars, eggs, oil, and pumpkin puree until smooth.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups (they will be pretty full). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | A Nerd Cooks

Coconut Zucchini Bread

September 19, 2016 by laurenpacek Leave a Comment

Sweet and moist, with a slightly chewy texture from the coconut, this quick bread is perfect for breakfast or a snack. Coconut Zucchini Bread | A Nerd Cooks

This bread is great for anyone who isn’t quite willing to let go of summer produce just yet. It has everything you’d expect from zucchini bread, plus some chewiness and additional sweetness from the coconut. It makes an excellent snack or breakfast.

This recipe is slightly adapted from Crumb Kitchen.

You’ll need (makes 1 loaf):

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (~1 medium zucchini)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 tbs turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of bread (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×15-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, egg, and vanilla, mixing well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until things are just combined. Add the coconut and mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula as needed. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the batter in an even layer, if desired.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a knife/toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Coconut Zucchini Bread | A Nerd Cooks

Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans

September 6, 2016 by laurenpacek 5 Comments

These subtly sweet and spicy Sweet Potato Waffles are brought to you as a part of #WaffleWeek2016. Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans | A Nerd Cooks I’m really struggling with not rushing into the next season. On the one hand, I’m beyond excited for cooler weather, and really enjoy the foods and flavors of Fall. Plus I love all of the things that this time of year signals the start of: lazy Saturdays spent watching college football (i.e., Sean watching and me just being lazy with the dog), hockey season, deer hunting, and pumpkin everything (#noshame).

On the other hand, early and mid-September are not technically Fall. It’s still hot out, and the summer produce is still abundant. Plus, what’s the rush?

Suffice it to say, you’re likely going to see an interesting mix of posts from me this month. With warm, spicy flavors one day and things like fresh, grilled seafood the next.

Is anyone else out there struggling with this? Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans | A Nerd Cooks Today we’re leaning toward the warm, spicy end of the spectrum. These waffles are tender and flavorful. The spices complement the subtle sweetness of the sweet potato, while the candied pecans add crunch and make these waffles really special. Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans | A Nerd Cooks

You’ll need:

For the candied pecans –

1 cup pecan pieces (or whatever nut you’d like)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs butter

For the waffles (makes 4 large waffles)-

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup sweet potato puree (canned or 1 medium sweet potato, roasted and mashed)
2 large eggs, separated
3 tbs butter, melted

To make the candied pecans – Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Add the pecan pieces, sugar, and butter to a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently. Once the sugar starts to melt, stir constantly until all of the nuts are coated and all of the sugar has melted.

Spread the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet, quickly separating them with two spatulas. Allow them to cool completely before breaking them apart. Set aside.

To make the waffles – In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine the milk, pureed sweet potato, egg yolks, and melted butter. Whisk together until everything is combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until things are just combined. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. You can do this by hand, but I recommend using an electric hand mixer. Fold the stiff egg whites into the batter.

Prepare the waffles according to your waffle maker’s directions.

Top the waffles with candied pecans, butter, and maple syrup.

If you’re looking for more waffle recipes from A Nerd Cooks, check out these Pumpkin Waffles and Churro Waffles!

Keep scrolling for some tasty waffle recipes from other talented food bloggers.

Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans | A Nerd Cooks

Now, let’s talk Waffle Week! I partnered with a handful of other talented food bloggers to bring you an assortment of tasty recipes for your Waffle Week enjoyment.