Last weekend was a weekend that’ll go down in history as one of my most relaxing, ever! There were flannel pajamas, no alarm set and when I woke up, I had everything in my kitchen so I could throw together these waffles. As I sat in bed and ate them (yes, breakfast in bed!), I watched the documentary, Soul of a Banquet. Have you seen it? It’s all about Cecilia Chiang’s life and work with her very famous (but now closed) restaurant in San Francisco, Mandarin.

She’s lived a very fascinating life. Her history with food and her relationship with food is all very rich, beautiful and interesting. Oh and the food! The food in the film looked so gorgeous and delicious. I was thankful for these pumpkin waffles or else I would’ve immediately gotten dressed and went out for dumplings; of course, it wouldn’t have compared to the food in the film. It’s one of those films that stays with you; I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

These waffles are perfect for that very moment: for rest and relaxation and lounging. They’re the ideal weekend breakfast. I usually halve this recipe and it ends up being two waffles for my boyfriend and me, so feel free to do the same if four waffles is too much.

Pumpkin Waffles

Make a stack of pumpkin waffles for a relaxing Fall treat. (Recipe Courtesy: Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog)

Ingredients

• For the Dry Mix:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• For the Wet Mix:
• 2 cups buttermilk, shaken
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
2. To a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. In one addition, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until the speckles of flour are no longer visible.
3. Preheat your waffle iron per the manufacture’s instructions - each one is slightly different. Spray the inside irons and pour the batter into the iron and close the lid. Cook per the recommended cook time; my machine cooks each waffle for about 4 minutes and it always seems to be about right. Repeat with the remaining waffles. My vote is to serve them right when they come out of the iron. If you’d like, you can place the waffles in a preheated 200 degree oven to keep them warm while you make the few batches. The only problem with this is they might get a little soggier than you’d like. Serve with warm maple syrup and a pat of butter.

Yield: 4 waffles

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.