Pumpkin Waffles — The Morning After the Patch

October approaches. The month of falling — falling leaves, falling temperatures, falling into the rhythm that autumn brings. Derek and I have been together eighteen months. A year and a half of coffee dates and Ethiopian food and midnight phone calls and a C+ chicken marsala and an "I love you" over dishes and a boy who calls me Mom T. Eighteen months. It feels like three weeks and thirty years. Love compresses and expands time until the calendar is irrelevant and the kitchen is the only clock that matters.

We went to a pumpkin patch. All six of us. The kind of aggressively wholesome outing that requires flannel and good attitudes and the willingness to pretend that a hayride is exciting when you are thirty-eight years old and have back problems. Marcus took photos ironically. Isaiah tolerated the hay. Jasmine and Zoe picked matching pumpkins. Derek carried three pumpkins to the car without complaining, which is love in its most physical form. Curtis declined the invitation. "Pumpkins are for children," he said. He is correct and also missing the point.

Made pumpkin soup from the smaller pumpkins — roasted, blended with broth and cream and nutmeg and a touch of curry powder that lifts it from fall-basic to fall-interesting. The orange color in the bowls matched the leaves outside and the kitchen smelled like October and the table held six and every spoon dipped and rose and dipped again and the rhythm of six people eating soup is a music that I didn't know I wanted until I had it.

The soup disappeared that night — every bowl — and there was still puree left over, which felt like the pumpkin patch insisting on a second act. The next morning I made waffles. If October is going to show up this fully, you meet it halfway: you pull out the waffle iron, you warm the spices, you let the kitchen smell like it means something. Six people who shared a hayride and a table and a pot of soup deserve a proper breakfast, and pumpkin waffles — crisp at the edges, soft in the middle, autumn in every bite — are exactly that.

Pumpkin Waffles

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Maple syrup and whipped cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the waffle iron. Heat your waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions and lightly grease it with nonstick cooking spray or a small amount of butter.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine and will keep the waffles tender.
5. Cook the waffles. Pour enough batter to fill your waffle iron (about 3/4 cup per waffle, depending on iron size). Close the lid and cook until the waffles are golden brown and steam has largely stopped escaping, about 4—5 minutes.
6. Keep warm and repeat. Transfer finished waffles to a wire rack set on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven to keep warm while you cook remaining batches.
7. Serve. Plate the waffles and serve with warm maple syrup and whipped cream. A dusting of powdered sugar or a handful of toasted pecans makes a fine addition.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 49g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 420mg