We all take a short mental trip to Belgium whenever we have waffles for breakfast. With these Liege Lavender Waffles, you could have a more authentic and healthy waffle experience!
Boy has it been an insane couple of weeks. With trying to expand my catering business, keeping up with my blogging and also working on my cookbook, it’s hard catching a break. Even the past 48 hours feels like 5 hours. Sunday feels like it was yesterday, and lately when I go to bed, it feels like I’m taking a nap. Not sure if this good, bad, or normal, but I could definitely use a break, or even better, a vacation!
When I made these liege lavender waffles, I honestly didn’t expect anything magical. Sure, I figured they would at least turn out good like the regular waffles I’ve made in the past, but I didn’t think they would turn out quite different from what I’m used to. Well, the change was wonderful! And worth the extra effort, because I won’t sugar coat it, these waffles require a bit of effort and patience. If you’re hungry and in a hurry, I would recommend making regular waffles and saving this recipe for another lovely morning after you’ve had a cup of tea or coffee!
If you’ve never heard of liege waffles, which basically are authentic Belgian waffles, then you’re probably curious about what makes them so unique. Well, let me fill you in! Typical Belgian or regular style waffles contain basic ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, milk etc. However, they key ingredients that make liege waffles stand out from other waffle recipes is the addition of yeast and pearl sugar. The yeast creates a bread like soft texture, while the pearl sugar adds a sweet crunch. Basically, think of these waffles as a breakfast dessert.
Since this is a healthy food blog, I made some substitutions to cut down the extra calories, while adding other ingredients like lavender to jazz things up a bit. If you don’t have any lavender, buy some! I’m kidding, you could omit it and use vanilla or almond extract. I also used a keto brown sugar alternative (you ca get it on Amazon) instead of pearl sugar because for starters I couldn’t find it at the grocery store, and I wanted to cut down the extra sugar. You could also use coconut brown sugar if you have it in your pantry. Since pearl sugar gives the waffles a sweet crunch, I added blanched almond slivers to the batter instead! I also used pure coconut oil instead of butter to make it dairy free, and light spelt flour because its low in fat and high in protein! Cheers to the weekend!
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
- ¾ cup lukewarm almond milk
- 3 egg whites
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon lavender extract (optional)
- 3 cups light spelt flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup keto brown sugar alternative
- ⅔ cup blanched almond slivers
- Add yeast and coconut palm sugar in warm almond milk in a small bowl. The milk should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 15-20 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to foam.
- Whisk the egg whites, melted coconut oil, and lavender extract into the yeast mixture until evenly blended; set aside. Stir together the flour and salt in a separate large bowl, then make a hole in the center of the batter. Pour the egg mixture into the hole, then stir in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap or a cloth and let rise in a warm humid place until doubled in volume, about 30-40 minutes. Gently mix in the keto brown sugar and almond slivers until incorporated.
- Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Lightly grease the iron with oil.
- Place a baseball-size ball of dough on the preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp, about 1-2 minutes. don't cook for longer or the waffles will burn. Repeat with remaining dough. Allow waffles to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Serve with berries, extra and/or topping of choice.
This looks delicious and also magical in photography.
Thank you 😊
OMG gladness! Good job
Thank you!