Waffle Weekend: Cranberry Waffles with Orange Sauce

In honor of my husband’s birthday (which was yesterday), I’d like to share this very special edition of “Waffle Weekend.”  It’s no secret that we love breakfast, so we threw a brunch birthday party for him this past weekend.

These fresh cranberry waffles with orange sauce were one of the items we served.  We also served them with an optional side of cranberry pecan jam that I developed for Small Batch.    

I created this waffle combination as a variation on another one of my favorite holiday items: my family’s cranberry cake with butter sauce.  My dad’s family always serves this cranberry cake on Christmas day, after we have finished our mid-day meal.  The cake has a lovely tartness from the fresh cranberries (which are always cut into quarters by hand...). But that tartness is offset by the ladle of ever-rich, tooth cavity inducing, butter sauce that is poured over the cake.  I may (or may not) admit to perhaps even licking my plate to  ensure I’ve consumed every last morsel of cake & drip of sauce....

These waffles take those same flavors & convert them to a breakfast food.  The waffles are crisper than the cake (as good waffles should be), and yet they still retain the same tartness that comes from fresh cranberries.  I added the orange component to the butter sauce to brighten the flavor a little bit & reduce the shock of the sweetness.

The brunch was a huge success!  By the end, the waffles were nearly gone, the creamy grits had completely disappeared, the bacon was almost entirely consumed, only one piece of quiche remained, and we all sported very happy bellies.

Cranberry Waffles
One of my biggest words of wisdom when throwing a brunch party is to make as many things ahead of time as possible.  Case in point, these waffles.  No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen cooking waffles during a party.  I cooked these ahead of time, refrigerated them, and reheated them in the oven right before guests arrived.  

1 c (heaping) fresh cranberries, cut into quarters
2 c AP Flour (I used Jeanne's GF AP flour Mix)
1 Tbl Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 c Granulated Sugar
Zest from half of an orange
4 ea Eggs, at room temp
1/4 c Butter, melted
1/4 c Vegetable Oil (plus additional for waffle iron)
2 c Buttermilk, at room temp (or 2 c milk with a splash of lemon juice)

1. Cut the fresh cranberries into quarters & set aside.  Preheat the waffle iron.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powder, soda, and salt.  Set aside
3.  In a large bowl, mix the orange zest and the sugar together until the zest is well dispersed throughout the sugar.  Whisk in the eggs, butter & vegetable oil.  Stir until well combined. Add the buttermilk & stir until combined.
4.  Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mix & stir until just combined.  Fold in the cranberries.
5.  Cook the mixture on a well greased waffle iron.

Orange Butter Sauce
1 c Sugar
1 orange, zested
1 c Heavy Cream
1/2 c Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1.  Mix the sugar with the orange zest until the zest is well dispersed throughout.
2.  In a heavy sauce pan, combine all ingredients & heat over medium high heat.  Stir constantly & cook until the mixture comes to a boil.  Boil  1 minute & remove from heat.
3.  Stir in vanilla.