One of my guilty pleasures is the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s admittedly a bit like a meal-replacement shake – the Slimfast adverts of the 90s evidently made a lasting impression on me – but there are often times when I’m travelling and want exactly that. This is especially the case since I bought a reusable cup on my way through Dublin Airport. My trips to Starbucks can now also be justified with a smug sense of reduced waste and contribution to eco-friendly initiatives.

I wrote about my disappointment at Starbucks discontinuing their blueberry scones a year ago so I realise it may sound like I spend my days frequenting the mermaid’s coffee shop. It’s not true. And rest assured I won’t be referring to this American institution again any time soon. For now, I need a Pumpkin Spice fix after being denied a latte in early November. (They had moved onto their Christmas menu just as I was finally in the market for some warming autumnal spices).

This coincided with my search for the perfect waffle recipe.

I tried Jamie’s but found the result a little pancakey, making for floppy waffles. Next, I followed Felicity Cloake’s ‘perfect’ recipe with great optimism but it produced strangely yeasty-tasting specimens for me.

I laboured over the super-authentic Liège waffle recipe (details to follow in a future post) which I highly recommend when you can (1) get started the day before and (2) are a patient breakfaster. You need a final prove before cooking (I personally could wait hours working up to the perfect breakfast but my husband is like a bear emerging from hibernation and needs instant nourishment) so my search continued.

Serendipitously, a friend wrote to me, quoting Nigella saying that she ‘likes to start the day with waffles outside’. This sort of comment is why I love her – the implication that we all have houses with gardens and time at the weekend to make, cook and enjoy waffles in peace. It is the dream, though. And, more importantly, her recipe produced just the type of waffles I was looking for.

But I wanted more flavour, so I hit upon using waffles to fill the pumpkin spice latte void in my life.

Now, much as Starbucks before me, I imagine (?), I tried a variation with real home-roasted pumpkin. I couldn’t really detect any flavour provided by it and, if anything, it made the waffle too floppy. So sadly this isn’t an opportunity to shoehorn more vegetables into our diet (something I am always on the lookout for). Experimentation revealed that what really works in waffle form are the spices that traditionally go into a pumpkin pie. And even more magical is the combination of these spices with coffee flavour in a beautifully light waffle. Autumnal breakfast perfection.

Perfect ‘pumpkin spice’ (latte) waffles

Variation on the waffle recipe from Nigella’s ‘At My Table’, published on BBC Food.

I like the flavour of coffee in these waffles but you can easily leave out the espresso powder and enjoy spiced waffles. I was inspired by the Pioneer Woman’s pumpkin spice mix recipe but you can also tweak the ratio of spices to suit your preference. Cinnamon is definitely dominant in this version but if you prefer more ginger or even some ground clove, then go with your instincts!

Ingredients

Waffle batter

• 225g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup caster sugar (or 4 tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp espresso powder (optional)
• 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 450 ml milk
• 125ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

Toppings

• icing sugar, maple syrup or ground cinnamon and caster sugar
• yogurt or creme fraîche

Method

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, espresso powder (if using), cinnamon, ginger, mace and mixed spice in a bowl.

Whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla extract and 3 egg yolks and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix together using the whisk until you have a smooth batter.

Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff and add to the waffle mix. Gently combine to create a lovely airy mixture.

Cook the waffles in your waffle iron. (The type of waffle iron you have and how crispy you like your waffles will determine the way forward here. In my electric waffle maker (a Krups one that flips over on its stand), I preheat to setting 4 out of 6, grease the inside of the waffle iron with oil using a brush and add 125ml (half cup measure) of batter to each side of the machine before gently closing the lid and leaving for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, I flip the mechanism over and cook on the other side for 3 minutes if I’m ready to eat them straight away or a little less if I’m making a few to keep warm in the oven or to freeze for future breakfasts.)

The batter keeps surprisingly well in the fridge for a day or two and doesn’t lose its airy texture. The waffles can be kept warm as you make them, in an oven heated to 150°C.

If you fancy it, make up some cinnamon sugar using 1 part ground cinnamon to 2 parts sugar and stir together.

To serve, sprinkle waffles with icing sugar, cinnamon sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup and add a dollop of plain yogurt or creme fraîche.