If ever there was a morning for indulgence, I’d say Christmas morning is it. As children, my brother and sister and I would wait impatiently behind a red bow stretching across the hallway while my Dad stoked the fire and my Mom made some final touches on the room. When everything was just right, we were allowed to cut the bow and run into the living room where all of the glory of Christmas morning awaited. After the floor was trashed with wrapping paper and the cat was tired from chasing treats around the model train set, it was time to stuff our mouths with Christmas breakfast. Captain Crunch was my go-to holiday morning cereal, and my Mom would only buy it for special occasions or if I bugged her enough. I’m happy to say my preferences for a special breakfast have changed, but they’re hardly less indulgent. Fire up the waffle iron and pop that bottle of whiskey – it’s time to make A Very Merry Peppermint Stout Waffle!

Some things to consider before waffling…

• Pour yourself a glass of coffee, coffee beer, eggnog, or what have you and keep it close by. The importance of having a cup of cheer at all times during the waffle making process cannot be overstated.
• Got a gawdy apron? Put it on. The rule in my house is flour use = apron use.
• TUNES. Gotta crank the tunes. As much as I love spinning some Christmas records, sticky fingers and vinyls don’t mix. Keep a personal DJ on hand or let your digital music playing device do the dirty work.
• Is your kitchen messy from a night of rocking around the Christmas tree? Do yourself a dandy and take a few minutes to do the dishes and wipe down the counters. I know you’re cleaning up a mess to make another one, but it matters.

A Very Merry Peppermint Stout Waffle

Makes about 6 waffles

Ingredients:

Waffles…

Dry Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Modest amount of freshly grated nutmeg
• Handful of walnuts or pecans, chopped or crushed

Wet Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup stout (I used Red Rock Drioma)
• 2 eggs

Toppings…

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 ounces of Pendleton Whiskey
• a dash of sugar
• 2 candy canes, crushed
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• maple syrup

Side… (optional)

• Thick strips of bacon for a savory contrast.

Other Stuff You’ll Need:

• Stand Mixer With Bowl
• Waffle Iron
• Silicone Spatula
• Large Bowl
• Two Medium Bowls
• Small Bowl
• Whisk
• Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons (tsp and tbs)
• Vegetable Oil Spray
• Saucepan
• Mortar and Pestle

How It’s Done:

Toppings first! Considering you’ll want to eat the waffle fresh off the iron, the toppings will need to be on standby.

Pendleton Butter

• Take your stick of softened butter and let the stand mixer whisk it into a cream-like consistency. My butter was a bit too cold. Too warm, and you’ll end up with melted whiskey butter (for your coffee, perhaps?).
• Find the goldilocks zone, and proceed by adding a dash of sugar and a small splash of whiskey while the mixer is doing its thing. If the butter and whiskey don’t completely become a homogeneous mixture, it’s ok. It’s still going to taste fricken fabulous.
• Scrape the butter from the side of the mixing bowl and put it in a small bowl. Cover and place in the fridge.

Whipped Cream

• So simple. So tasty. Take as much heavy whipping cream as you want and beat the living hell out of it. Whisk it yourself or let the stand mixer do it for you. Throw some spices or sugar in there to taste.

Candy Cane Crunchies

• Not everyone is in love with candy canes, I know. So leave this part out if you’re averse to delicious minty things. Otherwise, pop some candy canes in the mortar and pestle and crush them up to a gravel-like consistency. Or smash them with whatever you’ve got. It doesn’t matter how it gets done.

Waffles

• Yayyy Waffles! You’re not neglecting your Christmas morning beverage, right?
• With a dry whisk, mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set the bowl aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

• 

  Add the milk and beer to the butter, and stir until the liquid is warm. Do NOT break the dairy like I did. Heat can cause the proteins in the dairy to coagulate and make your dish less appetizing. It will look like clumpy bits floating in the liquid. It’s safe to eat, but it still felt a bit like failure. Just keep the heat real low and don’t ignore it. You’ll be fine.

• While the liquids are warming in the saucepan, crack two eggs into a medium sized bowl. Whisk them up, and then mix in the vanilla.
• While whisking vigorously, very slowly pour the warm mixture into the eggs. This is called tempering the eggs. If you raise the temperature of the eggs too fast, they will cook and you’ll have some gnarly scrambled eggs. Slowly raising the temperature and constantly mixing will give you want you want.
• Once everything is combined, add it to the dry ingredients. Gently mix the batter with a silicone spatula. Do not over mix. A few lumps here and there are fine.
• Let the batter sit while your waffle iron heats up.
• When it’s go time (your iron will probably let you know), spray the iron surfaces with your favorite non-stick spray (I use canola oil spray).
• Scoop some batter onto the waffle iron and let it bake.
• WE’RE ALMOST THERE!!!

Waffle Assembly:

• Before your waffle is ready, grab all the toppings and line them up like children in the hallway waiting for Christmas morning.
• When the iron dings or a light goes off or you catch a whiff of something burning, your waffles are done!
• Swiftly lift your waffle out of iron and onto a fancy plate.
• My recommended order of waffle attack is butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, and then candy cane crunchies.
• Top it off with some powdered sugar if for some reason the massive load of sugar already present isn’t enough.
• Serve with the remainder of the stout used for the waffle, along with more delicious beverages and a side of bacon. Indulgence is key.

May your morning be filled with good cheer, happy people, tasty food, and great beer!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

More ideas for special mornings:
Beer – It’s What’s For Breakfast
I Love The Smell Of Bourbon And Maple In The Morning
Coffee Beer – The Timeless Potation
Eggnog For Your Noggin
Lindemans Kriek Muffins
Cockle Warming Beer Cocktails