A warm and cozy brunch when the weather starts to cool down is the perfect way to celebrate the fall season. These cinnamon apple pie waffles are the epitome of fall… and with caramel swirl whipped cream, they are going to become your favorite indulgence! {Gluten-free!}
Hello again my friends! You all know how resistant to fall I’ve been. So much so that I refused to talk apples or pumpkins until it was officially fall. So, on Friday I pulled out all of my fall decorations, ran out (wearing shorts and flip flops) and bought pumpkins, mums, and apples.
Yep, it’s still very much summer here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some cinnamon apple pie waffles! Seriously guys, these waffles are the epitome of fall. And topped with caramel swirl whipped cream just brings them to a whole new level.
I’m a big Belgian waffle fan. I’ve been making waffles for years (using my great grandmother’s recipe). They are always my go-to breakfast/brunch to serve when I have house guests. So, I figured why not embrace the fall season and make apple-pie-inspired waffles?
There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to these cinnamon apple pie waffles, so let’s jump on in.
Step one is to make homemade caramel sauce. I couldn’t tell you the last time I bought a jar of caramel because it’s something that I always have the ingredients for, and it’s pretty easy once you do it a few times. The main thing to remember when making homemade caramel is you don’t want to burn the sugar! So, just keep an eye on it and you’ll be just fine.
Of course if you want to buy caramel in the store that’s fine, too. Just don’t tell me.
I’m kidding (kind of). ?
Once you have your caramel sauce made, set it aside to cool completely. Now we can move on to step two: the apple topping! We are just sautéing apples in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Easy, right?
Step three is to make the whipped cream and swirl the cooled caramel sauce in. Again, really easy! If all of that sounds like too much work to do before eating, don’t worry. You can make it all ahead. In fact, you can even make the waffles ahead and toast them in the oven when you’re ready to eat.
Speaking of the waffles, let’s talk about those. Light and fluffy with a crisp exterior, this is my tried-and-true waffle recipe courtesy of my great grandmother. We start out with the basics: flour (GF here, but regular AP can be swapped), baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract. What sets these apart from a lot of waffle recipes is the beating of the egg whites. (I believe this is what makes these Belgian-style waffles as opposed to regular waffles.)
Although it’s an extra step that can be somewhat annoying since you have to dirty another bowl, it’s completely necessary and makes the waffles SO light and fluffy. Trust me on this, once you try a Belgian-style waffle you will always want them!
To stick with the fall theme, I added cinnamon to the dry ingredient mixture, which obviously pairs perfect with apples!
Once you’ve got your waffle batter ready to go and your waffle iron is preheated, you’re ready to make waffles! The waffle iron I use is this one – I’ve had it for years and it still works great!
A few notes on the waffles before I leave you.
- I recommend keeping your waffles warm in a low oven (250º) since you can only make one at a time.
- You can make the waffles completely ahead, just let them cool and wrap them in plastic wrap. Reheat them by toasting them in a 350º oven for about 10 minutes until warm and crisp.
- Make sure you serve them with extra caramel sauce drizzled over top! ?
There aren’t enough words to describe how delicious these waffles are, so just take my word for it and go make ’em! Have a great week. ✌?
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Water
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 3 Sweet-Tart Apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- Caramel Sauce
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour*
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 2 ½ Cups Milk*, whole or 2%
- 3 Eggs, separated
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Stick Butter, melted and cooled slightly
- Special Equipment Needed: Belgian Waffle Iron*
- Make the caramel sauce by combining the sugar and water in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the mixture until it turns a medium amber color. (Keep a watchful eye while you do this as it can go from perfect to burned very quickly!) Stir in the butter, a tablespoon at a time until each is melted. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cream. Keep stirring until the caramel is smooth – be careful for spatters! Set the sauce aside to cool completely.
- Make the apple topping by melting the butter in a large skillet. Add in the brown sugar, sliced apples, cinnamon, and salt. Stir and let the apples cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until desired doneness. I like the apples to have a little bite left to them.
- Make the whipped cream by combining the cream and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer), and whip until stiff peaks have formed. Whisk in the powdered sugar and then swirl in some caramel sauce. I drizzle it in and then swirl with a spoon until the desired amount is achieved. Set aside.
- Plug in your waffle iron and let it heat up.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine. Mix in the cooled butter, and then gently fold in the egg whites.
- Scoop batter into your waffle iron and follow the instruction for your particular model. This recipe will yield 4 Belgian waffles depending on the size of your waffle iron.
- Keep waffles warm in a low oven until all are done.
- Serve the waffles topped with the apples, whipped cream, and additional caramel sauce for drizzling.
- *If you don't need gluten-free, use 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 cups of milk.
- *If you don't have a Belgian waffle iron, you can use a regular one!
Bahahaha! Girl, I swear we are related! You know I was just as against summer coming to an end, but such is life, we must embrace that which we can not change…. unfortunately. I can’t think of a better way to welcome fall than with waffles, and these waffles are just EVERYTHING! Love the combo of cinnamon and apples, so these are totally begging to be devoured!! Cheers, friend!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Glazed Cinnamon Apple Cider Baked Donuts
Keri, this just went on my “must-make” list! Yumm!!
Apple pie and waffles! Is there a better combination? Most likely not. Thanks for the delicious recipe and tips.
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YUMMMMM….. They look really delicious Keri mmmm I love apple and cinnamon and waffles top it off!! forget about the pop tarts these waffle beats hand s down.
Yum! I love the idea of combining two of my favourite, well actually 3 if you include applies into one single thing. I know what I’ll be doing tonight.
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