Hooray! Party in the mouth right here, right now. These waffles are my way of giving fall a big fat hug for arriving right on time. Or maybe fall is giving me a hug… either way, there’s a lot of hugging and waffle eating going on, and that’s OK with me. John and I have been coffee snobs ever since living in Portland and being exposed to the wonder that is medium-roasted coffee; as in coffee that hasn’t been roasted to a burnt crisp. I used to think, “the darker, the bolder, the better!” Now I know that coffee can actually taste like something other than ash. However, the kind of coffee you want for these waffles is not the good stuff. In fact, I intentionally used over-roasted beans in this recipe because they get offset by the brown sugar and almond milk. Besides, you really don’t want to waste your good stuff on waffles – you want it straight into your face. But really, any kind of bean will do. Just know the darker, the bolder the more you’ll taste it in the final product. These waffles are uber simple, requiring just 1 bowl and about 30 minutes from start to finish. You also likely have all of the ingredients on hand. That is, if you’re a coffee and pumpkin lover. But I don’t know many people who aren’t, so I’ll go ahead and chalk that up as a given. I am kind of smitten with these waffles, even though they threw me for a loop while recipe testing. I think I tried four times before finding just the right combination of ingredients – a true labor of love. But the result was so worth it: tender, pumpkin-y waffles with lots of coffee and fall spice flavor. In my opinion, the perfect way to start a fall morning or lazy weekend at home. Plus, they toast up perfectly after being frozen. Enjoy!
