Gingerbread and Peaches

With all the fruit stands about town selling Fall's harvest of fresh peaches, we've been enjoying our fair share of this delectable, delicious fruit. Mostly we just slice and eat with a sprinkle of cinnamon, but last week I pulled out all the stops. I treated the family to hot gingerbread waffles, smothered with slices of fresh peach, drizzled with homemade peach-cinnamon syrup, and topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Oh the divinity of it all! Once again I feel that I should share this deliciousness with all of you so in case you want to treat yourselves and your family you have the recipe.

Gingerbread Waffles

3 eggs, seperated
1 cup buttermilk (plain milk will work too if you don't have buttermilk)
1/2 cup molassess
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (if you don't have this use half regular whole wheat, half white flour, or all white if you're not into wheat)
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp each: cinnamon, cloves, ginger (I use one and a half tsps each for extra flavor)
1/2 cup canola oil (or other vegetable oil)

In a large bowl beat egg yolks with a whisk, add buttermilk, molassess, sugar and oil. In a medium bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Pour dry ingredients into bowl with wet ingredients and mix just until blended. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gentle fold egg whites into waffle batter. Bake batter in a pre-heated waffle iron lightly coated with cooking spray.

I turn my oven on warm and keep the cooked waffles on a cookie sheet in the oven until all the waffles are baked and we can sit down and eat together. Otherwise I'm up cooking while everyone else is eating. I hate that.

I usually double this recipe. If we don't eat them all, they keep well in the fridge. They also freeze well.

My friend Michelle (bless her heart) bottled her own peach-cinnamon syrup and brought us a jar. We are now addicted, so last night I bottled 14 jars of my own. We're set for life.

If you're interested in making some for yourself I'm posting the recipe. There are still peaches out there to be had so it's not too late if you hurry. If you don't want bottle your own you could also just make a little for your waffles with some blended peaches, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice, bring to a boil and cool a little to thicken. I've done that before and it's delicious!

Michelle's Peach Syrup

8 cups blended peaches (blended until totally smooth), 5 cups granulated sugar, 1 small package peach jello, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1 tsp cinnamon

Boil blended peaches and sugar for 20 minutes on medium, stirring most of the time so as not to burn on the bottom. Remove from heat and stir in jello, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Return to heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Pour into pint jars and process in a steam canner for 10 minutes. Serve warm over pancakes and waffles.

Happy Fall everyone!