Pecan waffles with decadent Tennessee whiskey peach syrup

It’s peach season in my area, which means we need to prepare for the last glimmers of summer. It’s been almost two years since my husband and I have visited the states, and we now often reminisce about late-night (or early morning) Waffle House runs and a lovely Christmas feast in Lynchburg, Tennessee, which is home of Jack Daniel and his distillery. This lightly boozy weekend morning treat is an homage to that fantastic trip.

Don’t be scared off by how much Jack Daniel’s is used here in the syrup. The brown sugar and ripe peaches balance the flavours beautifully, and we aren’t shy with the peaches here either! The 10 minute boiling time for the syrup helps take the edge of the whiskey as well. For the waffles, I found that dropping chopped pecans into the batter while it’s cooking in the griddle resulted in delicious, toasted pecans studded in fluffy waffles.

A common pain point with homemade waffles is that they often become soggy within minutes after being cooked in the waffle iron. So by the time you finish making the stack, the waffles are delicious but limp. Below is a great recipe and method for keeping waffles crisp as they make their way to the table. There are two fun solves here: adding corn starch in the batter, and storing the finished waffles in a single layer on a toaster rack so that you can toast them before serving.

Makes 6 large waffles (6″ each). 15 minutes prep time, 40 minutes cook time.

If small pecan pieces aren’t easy to come by, lightly crush whole pecans by placing them in a single layer between two parchment sheets on a non-scratchable surface, and pressing a rolling pin overtop. Larger pieces are welcomed.

Pecan waffles with Tennessee whiskey peach syrup

Recipe by Tiny Kitchen CravingsCourse: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

Waffles

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• Whiskey peach syrup

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey (Old No. 7 was used here)

• 1 cup water

• 4 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced

• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Pecan waffles

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp. cornstarch

• 2 1/2 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tbsp. baking powder

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1/2 cup crushed pecans (larger pieces preferred)

Directions

• Directions for syrup
• Mix brown sugar, whiskey, and water together in a medium saucepan. Boil for 10 minutes until a light syrup forms.
• Add peaches and simmer for 3 minutes, or until peaches are soft.
• Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and vanilla extract. Set aside but keep warm. Can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
• Directions for waffles
• Whisk flour, cornstarch, sugar, and baking powder together in a medium mixing bowl.
• Mix milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Whisk together until well mixed with only small lumps in the batter.
• Heat waffle iron and ladle batter onto the iron as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Before closing the iron, sprinkle some crushed pecans evenly over the batter. Close iron and cook.
• When the waffle is cooked, remove it and place in an un-warmed toaster oven, directly on the rack as a single layer.
• Continue making waffles with the remaining batter and pecans, placing finished waffles onto the oven rack.
• When the last waffles are almost complete, toast previously finished waffles until warm. Serve all waffles with peach syrup. And butter if you know someone at the table who puts butter on everything.