Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles with Brown Butter Pear and Cranberry Compote by Chef Lizette Marx

Chef Lizette is back at it with another delicious recipe to enjoy. This one is just in time for the Holidays!

As a Holistic Chef Instructor for our Holistic Chef Online Culinary Program, Chef Lizette shares her recipe to create Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles with Brown Butter Pear Cranberry Compote.

We invite you to try what Chef Lizette says is, “the ultimate holiday waffle”. Great on their own with a little melted butter, but even more delightfully delectable when paired with her brown buttered pear and cranberry compote.

Sundays Were All About Making Waffles

Usually when I come up with a new recipe or my own version of a classic dish, I have a food memory from my younger years. This one is about waffles. Truth is I never really cared about them but my parents sure did. During my summer vacations, most Sundays were all about making waffles. My dad was the honorary waffle chef and he’d make them from Krusteaz pancake mix. They came out perfectly. He’d pile them up on a platter and serve them alongside a bowl of freshly cut peaches from the local orchard, maple syrup, and peanut butter. My parents were crazy about them and were convinced that I should love them too but I mostly enjoyed the peaches. I was always underwhelmed with the actual waffle. It just tasted stodgy and heavy.

I didn’t want to hurt my dad’s feelings of course so I endured our waffle Sundays when what I truly craved was eggs benedict. I secretly hoped the waffle craze would eventually fade away but it went on for years. In fact, when my aunt and uncle came to visit one summer, they were blown away with my dad’s famous peanut butter and peach waffles. My uncle loved them so much whenever he went out to breakfast, he’d bring a jar of peanut butter with him. It was getting outta hand but what can I tell you. Families are quirky sometimes.

My Dad Gifted Me With a Waffle Iron

Once I moved out and started making my own Sunday breakfasts, I focused on egg dishes like omelets, frittata, and huevos rancheros. I did not miss waffles. Then one year for Christmas my dad gifted me with a waffle iron. Oh dear… Here we go. We made them that morning with peanut butter and maple syrup. Peaches weren’t in season so that was that. The waffle iron sat in my cupboard gathering dust until the next time we had brunch together.

I didn’t really give waffles much thought for many years and was quite content about this decision but when I was working on my first cookbook they started to haunt me a little when I was thinking of breakfast dishes. I thought, what if I could make a waffle that tasted interesting? What if my waffle was gluten-free and tasted delicious on its own?

The Ultimate Holiday Waffle

Enter the gingerbread waffle. This recipe was originally made with barley flour which is not gluten-free but at the time I wasn’t sure I could make a gluten-free batter that would hold up in a waffle iron. More recipe testing ensued and now I have the gluten-free version of this delicious waffle with aromatic spices that are like visions of sugar plums, reindeers, and partridges in a pear tree. These are the ultimate holiday waffle with ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and molasses. The best part is they are delicious on their own or with a little melted butter.

Good as these waffles are with just butter, I thought why not up the ante and serve them with another holiday flavor bomb? So I cooked up a brown buttered pear and cranberry compote. It’s a delectable pairing. I could actually eat this compote by itself (it’s that good) but when topped onto these gingerbread waffles, just wow!

Cooking Tips

Separate the Eggs

The trick to making these waffles light and airy is separating the eggs. The egg yolks are mixed with molasses, maple syrup, yogurt, and butter, then combined with the flours and leavener. The egg whites are whipped separately with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks and then are carefully folded into the thick gingerbread flavored batter. The waffle iron does the rest.

Keep it Crispy

These waffles tend to be a little soft and floppy out of the iron so after each one is cooked, put them on a rack so they can crisp up. Crispy waffles don’t happen with this particular recipe so don’t skip this step.

Make Your Compote a Day or More Ahead

If you’re planning on making these waffles for a hungry brunch bunch you’ll be happy you did!

Learn more about Chef Lizette by visiting our faculty page. You can also find more recipes from Chef Lizette on her website.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles with Brown Butter Pear and Cranberry Compote

Yield: 6 | Serves: 3-6

These delightful waffles deliver the warmth of holiday spices and the earthy sweetness of molasses. Part ginger cookie and part gingerbread, it is a breakfast treat.

Instead of plain ol’ maple syrup, why not dress up your gingerbread waffles with this sweet and tart compote. Pears are cooked in brown butter and spices and then combined with maple syrup sweetened cranberry compote. Yum!

INGREDIENTS

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup cassava flour
• 1Tablespoon organic granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Pinch of sea salt

Brown Butter Pear and Cranberry Compote

• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 1 medium pear, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger (or 1 tsp freshly grated ginger)
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• Juice and zest of one orange
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles

1. Sift together the blanched almond, sorghum and cassava flours with the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, and sea salt.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together molasses, maple syrup, yogurt and egg yolks, until well combined.
3. Add wet mixture to sifted dry ingredients and stir until everything is smoothly incorporated.
4. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of melted butter and stir in well. Reserve the remaining butter for brushing onto the waffle iron.
5. In a clean medium-size bowl, beat egg whites until foamy and add a pinch of salt. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold 1/3 of egg white mixture at a time into the waffle batter. The batter will be light and slightly foamy.
7. Prepare a waffle maker by heating and then brushing with a thin coating of melted butter. Make waffles, being careful not to overfill waffle iron with batter.
8. Serve topped with warm Brown Butter Pear and Cranberry Compote.
   

Brown Butter Pear and Cranberry Compote

1. Melt butter over low heat in a small sauce pan and allow to turn a light caramel color.
2. Add diced pears and simmer until fruit is tender.
3. When butter starts to brown and fruit softens a little, stir in cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Remove from heat.
4. In another small saucepan combine cranberries, orange juice, cider, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook until cranberries begin to pop. Stir occasionally to ensure cranberries cook evenly.
5. Increase heat, and continue cooking to reduce the juices by 1/3.
6. When juices have reduced and cranberries are very soft, stir in maple syrup and brown butter pear and spice mixture.
7. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a pinch of sea salt if desired. Remove compote from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Compote will thicken more as it cools.