One Hot Mess: Toffee Cinnamon Roll Waffles

I love my Belgian waffle-maker.  For nearly a year, it’s been a trusty appliance that’s yielded many perfect, fluffy waffles.

Unfortunately, what I’m about to share with you is the waffle-maker’s nemesis.

They’ll turn your Belgian wafflemaker into a hot mess, your kitchen countertop a site of a flour-bomb explosion, and your hands a dirty receptacle for cinnamon sugar.  Ooey gooey innards will caramelize into a crisp, sugary layer on the wafflemaker, shortly thereafter requiring a date with soap, water, and a toothbrush.  The countertop will soon become acquainted with Bounty paper towels.  And, short of wearing a pair of gloves, maintaining clean hands is futile. 

But let me tell you, it is so worth it. 

A yeastless sweet dough is brushed with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and toffee bits, rolled up, cut, and squashed mercilessly between hot griddles.  Thus toffee cinnamon roll waffles are born, emerging from the hostile womb of a Belgian waffle-maker. 

Just don’t peek into the waffle iron’s crevices.  Enjoy food now, worry about clean-up later.

Toffee Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Yield: About 11 waffles

Dough:

• 3-1/2 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (420 – 480 g)
• 1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk powder (23 g)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup mild-flavored honey (84 g)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (36 g)
• 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed (28 g)

Filling:

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed (56 g)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon toffee bits

Glaze:

• Confectioners’ sugar
• Water
• Pure vanilla extract (optional)

1. Preheat Belgian waffle iron on medium heat setting.
2. To prepare filling, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, honey, butter, egg, and sugars.  Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until incorporated.  Add additional flour, if necessary, to create a soft, moist dough.
4. On a floured surface, knead dough a couple times.  Roll dough into a 15″ x 10″ rectangle and brush with melted butter.  Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top, followed by the toffee bits.  Starting at the long side, roll dough into a log.
5. For 1.5″-thick waffle irons, cut rolls into 1.5″ pieces.  For 1″-thick waffle irons, cut into 1″ pieces.  Grease iron well with cooking spray.  Before cooking four at a time, begin with a single test waffle.  I cooked mine for 1.5 – 2 minutes on low medium heat setting, but you may need to adjust time/temperature to suit your wafflemaker.  After cooking test waffle, cut into middle to check doneness.  Adjust time/temperature accordingly so rolls cook through (if golden brown on outside by undercooked inside, reduce temperature setting and increase time, or vice versa).  Repeat with remaining cinnamon rolls.
6. To prepare glaze, stir together confectioners’ sugar and water until desired consistency is reached.  If desired, add vanilla to taste. 

Tagged as: Bread, Breakfast, brown sugar, cinnamon, confectioners' sugar, frosting, honey, quick bread, toffee, vanilla, waffles