Recipe Background
Transform Christmas morning with cinnamon roll waffles made extra special by a cream cheese topping and cinnamon syrup.
The Christmas of the big snowstorm was when cinnamon roll waffles became a tradition in our home. We were snowed in, and I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend the morning than tucking into something warm and sweet. The scent of cinnamon whisking through the air reminded me of when I first moved to my cozy apartment. Coming from a sunny state, the snow felt enchanting, almost like a pristine blanket covering the city in holiday spirit.
That morning, I had almost everything on hand, but the whipped cream cheese was the magical surprise. If you let it reach room temperature, it blends into a velvety delight with sugar and vanilla, perfect for dolloping over freshly pressed waffles. Meanwhile, the melted butter mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon brought a warm depth that played beautifully against the vaguely sweet batter. Allowing the mixture to rest for a few minutes added a light crispness to the waffles that had us all reaching for seconds.
I learned an invaluable tip from my mentor during a Christmas brunch: never fully melt your butter in a microwave, but leave a bit unmelted so when you whisk it with warm milk, it gradually falls into a perfectly creamy consistency. As I served up dish after dish of these homemade waffles that morning, I knew this was a celebration worth repeating every year.
Ingredients
For the waffles:
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the cream cheese topping:
- 3/4 cup whipped cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cinnamon syrup:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat a waffle iron.
- In a microwave-safe measuring cup, add the milk and 1/2 cup of the butter pieces and heat in the microwave until the butter is nearly melted, about 1 minute-1 minute 30 seconds.
- In a large bowl, add the milk mixture.
- Add the eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the vanilla to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, the baking powder, and the salt to the milk mixture and mix until just combined into a batter. The batter should have some small lumps.
- Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes.
- Grease the waffle iron, as needed.
- In batches according to the waffle iron's directions, add the batter to the hot waffle iron and cook until done.
- Transfer the waffle from the hot waffle iron and keep it warm.
- Repeat until all of the batter is used.
- In a bowl, add the cream cheese, the sugar, and the remaining vanilla and using an electric handheld mixer on medium speed, beat until combined and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, add the brown sugar, the remaining melted butter, and the cinnamon and whisk to combine.
- Serve the waffles with the cream cheese topping and the cinnamon syrup.
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