After I brought maple pumpkin muffins into the office on Monday, I got an email from a coworker who wanted the recipe. I sent her a tentative one and then a link to my blog post once I actually put up the recipe. She responded with a recipe for pumpkin waffles using pumpkin pie spice. “Don’t hate me!!!” she said.

I should clarify: I hate pumpkin spice as a concept. I don’t like cookies, scones, drinks, or really, anything that is flavored with “pumpkin spice” and sold under that moniker.

HOWEVER, I don’t have anything against pumpkin pie spice. It’s just all the real spices you’d use for pumpkin pie mixed together in a container. It makes life easier when you’re cooking, and, unlike pumpkin spice, it’s not phony.

These waffles call for pumpkin pie spice. They also don’t involve any flour, which I thought was weird at first. But then later I realized that the oats add substance and texture. Once you mix the oats, egg, and yogurt together in a blender, it has the same consistency as normal waffle batter. And the good thing is, it’s even better for you. I like recipes that are sneakily healthy.

I topped my waffle with pecan pieces and maple syrup but feel free to get creative. My colleague said she likes to put vanilla honey on top, which sounds delicious. I bet almond butter or chocolate chips would also be good additions.

Here’s a song that reminds me of these waffles. I love the strings part and the drums.

Pumpkin Waffles

Ingredients

3/4 cup rolled oats
1 egg
1/3 cup egg whites
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking powder
pecans and maple syrup for topping

Directions

Preheat waffle iron. Blend all the ingredients in a blender. Pour the mixture onto greased/sprayed iron and cook until your desired doneness (I like to set mine to high for crispy waffles). Top however you like.

This amount makes two full waffles. If you want to premake more you can double the recipe. I like to store extra waffles in zipped plastic bags in the freezer so I can warm one up in the oven for breakfast throughout the week. Make sure to wrap them in parchment paper or wax paper before you put them in the plastic bags to prevent freezer burn. Enjoy!