Waffle Weekend: Almond Waffles with Pears

I know, I know... it isn't the weekend any longer.  This past weekend was a busy one, filled with preparations for me to travel back to Charleston.  I'm very excited to be spending the next couple weeks assisting with Helene Dujardin, Clare Barboza & Tami Hardeman with two upcoming photo workshops. In the craziness of packing, I forgot to share our latest "Waffle Weekend" adventure with you!

These waffles are actually gluten (and dairy) free. I don't want that fact to scare you, especially if you aren't used to making gluten free things.   I promise, they aren't scary at all!  Nor are they difficult.  

Sometimes gluten free baked goods taste, well, like they are gluten free. These waffles don't taste like "healthier" waffles. They are totally delicious!.  There aren't any "weird" ingredients to take the place of wheat flour, just lots of almond flour.  My husband and I agreed that the toasted flavor that comes from the cooked almond flour tastes more like whole wheat than overwhelmingly like almond.   As a bonus, they're sweetened naturally with honey, and I used dairy-free almond milk instead of regular milk (but you could always make them with regular milk if you prefer).  

I have always loved the flavors of pears and almond together.  Since pears are in season & we had a whole bag of them, I made a honey pear topping.  The honey pear topping & my favorite honey butter syrup, adapted from the recipe I created for the National Honey Board contest I won in 2010,  were an excellent paring with the almond waffles.

After shooting a couple pictures, we gobbled up all but a few of the waffles.  Those leftover waffles went into the freezer.  Now my husband can have his own "waffle weekend" while I'm gone :)

Honey Pear Topping 

The pears take a little longer to cook, so I like to start them cooking before I begin preparing the waffle batter.  

5 small pears 

4 Tbl Unsalted Butter

4 Tbl Honey 

pinch Sea Salt

1.  Peel, core & slice the pears into thin pieces.  

2.  Melt the butter and honey together in a large skillet over medium heat.  

3.  Once everything has melted, add the pears & a sprinkle of sea salt.  Cook over medium heat until the pears have softened & become slightly translucent.  Stir occasionally.  

4.  Keep the pears warm until ready to serve.  

Honey Butter Syrup 

adapted from the recipe I created for the National Honey Board contest I won in 2010

4 oz (1 stick) Unsalted Butter

4 oz Honey 

pinch Sea Salt 

1.  In a sauce pan, melt the honey & butter together with a sprinkle of sea salt.  Whisk to combine. 

2.  Bring to a boil & remove from heat.  

3.  Serve hot. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.   

Almond Flour Waffles

adapted from Zen Belly 

makes approximately 4 to 5 large waffles.  

These waffles cook really fast!  And they don't get quite as crisp as some.  So I cooked mine in the waffle iron, then transferred them to the toaster oven to crisp a little before I served them.  And be careful when removing them from the waffle iron... they can be a bit fragile! 

1 1/2 c Almond Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

4 eggs, separated, room temperature 

1/4 c Almond Milk (or other milk) 

3 Tbl Vegetable Oil, plus additional for waffle iron

2 Tbl Honey

1 tsp Vanilla

1.  Measure out all ingredients.  

2.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside. 

3.  In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks (NOT whites), milk, oil, honey & vanilla.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Set aside.

4.  Preheat waffle iron to medium heat.  

5.  In a very clean, stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form medium peaks.  Use a hand mixer if needed. {I like to hold my bowl over the sautéing pears to help warm the egg whites just slightly.  Warmed egg whites will whip a bit easier than cold ones.} 

6.  Fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.  

7.  Oil the preheated waffle iron & portion the batter onto the greased waffle iron.  Cook until done.  (caution, they cook quickly!).  Transfer to a warm toaster oven while the remaining batter is cooked. 

8.  Serve with the honeyed pear topping & the honey butter syrup.  Freeze any leftover waffles.