Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter



My love affair with the Pillsbury Doughboy began many years ago when I was still a child. As you may have deduced from the title of my blog, my father was a baker. For a time, he was the proud owner of the Seymour Bakery, right dab in the middle of Main Street in the small town of Seymour, Wisconsin (nowadays, Seymour is known as “the home of the hamburger”, but that’s the topic for a whole other blog). In those days, Pillsbury had a wholesale division dedicated to supplying bakeries with flour and other everyday necessities and my father was one of their happy customers. It was because of his association with Pillsbury, that he somehow got his hands on a rather large, mechanical Doughboy, which sat for a time in a prominent spot in the bakery’s display window. Daddy hired someone out of Green Bay to change the displays seasonally. There was always some sort of mechanical doll swaying to and fro, making music and promoting whatever holiday was forthcoming. The Doughboy, though, was special. There he was, with that huge grin on his face and, about every minute or so, he would poke himself in the belly and let loose with the famous giggle—Hoo!Hoo! I loved him….





Throughout the years, I was in touch with the Doughboy off and on. In college, my roommate’s mother would bring us wonderful treats that happened to be Pillsbury Bake-Off® specialties. It took me several years to finally figure out that the Banana Crunch Cake that she made (and I adored) was actually a $25,000 winner from the 24th Bake-Off® in 1973. When I was finally on my own and had to make my own treats, the Doughboy was there for me again with those convenient crescent rolls, pie crusts, cinnamon rolls and, as always, the easy recipes that came out of the Bake-Off®.

Flash forward to 2010 and the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® is almost upon us. This year, I have been honored to have my recipe--Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter-- chosen to compete with 99 others in Orlando, Florida on April 12. I have had the opportunity (thanks to the wonder that is the Internet) to befriend many of the other contestants---such a great group of people! The competition will be fierce, but I’m happy with my creation. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking it’s the year of the Million Dollar Waffle…..

You can find a printable version of the recipe right here: Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter



We start by mixing up some butter, honey and cinnamon. This will top off your finished waffles with just the right amount of sweetness. I'm certain that if you would rather top your waffles with some sliced bananas and some whipped cream, that would be OK, too. Or maybe some butter pecan ice cream? Oh, the possibilities.....



Next we'll just break some Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough (cookie dough! Isn't that the coolest thing ever?) up into a nice large bowl, add a couple of eggs and beat it until it's smooth. Then we'll add a little vanilla and some light cream and mix until we have a thin batter. Earlier, I had toasted some pecans---we'll toss some of those in the mix, too. 



Just for the occasion, I splurged and bought an obscenely expensive waffle maker. If ever there was a time for an expensive waffle maker in my life, it is now. This baby weighs a ton and blew a fuse in the kitchen last night, but it sure does put out a nice waffle. The funny thing is, this recipe turns out good in my $9.99 machine, too....




And there you have it! Topped with the sweet honey-cinnamon butter and some toasted pecans....I may have to go whip up another batch right now....

12 comments:

  1. Wow! Amazing, Cathy. I've never made waffles, because I don't have a waffle maker, but if I did, I'd run over and make some right now after seeing your pictures. Wish you all the luck in the bake off, I'd so love to hear that these turned out to be million-dollar waffles :)

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  2. Congratz on being in the final 100! Excitement! The waffles look great.

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  3. Oh, wow! Congratulations! We have to wait till April 2? Poop. I think this recipe is a winner TODAY.

    Thanks for the recipe. And good luck.

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  4. Trying to think of words for this... It's a SIN!
    At least I don't have any gluten free ingredients to make it. So I will just drool!

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  5. Oh the memories - I used to LOVE that Bake-Off recipe booklet! These waffles sound DECADENT! ~Mary

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  6. Omg!! THE recipe!! Wooo hoooo!! I am so dang proud of you. These waffles look amazing...seriously out of this world wonderful. You had better keep us all posted. Good luck chickie!! (I think you need to wear a pink corset for good luck! hahahaha)

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  7. Dajana--I would send you my old waffle maker, but it wouldn't work in your outlets.....do they even sell the refrigerated cookie dough in Italy? I'll bet you wouldn't know from all of those homemade cookies that you turn out! :)

    Bob--I saw a pic of your waffles the other day--yum! I'll have to try the cornstarch method.

    Lee--When they come out with the gluten free cookie dough, I'm sure your waffles will reign supreme!

    Kate--do you have a good recipe for Liege Waffles? I just bought some Belgian Pearl Sugar and I'm dying to try them.

    Mary--Those memories are damn fattening aren't they? But really tasty, heehee...

    Danielle--My friends from BakeSpace have been a true inspiration. Did you know that it was Shane that suggested the honey butter? I asked him an innocent little question while I was inventing this last Spring.

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  8. I was reading your blog today and saw the word Seymour....I thought, it can't be! We lived in Seymour on Woodside Drive from 1995-2001. We moved to the country in Pulaski and now live north of Austin TX. What a small world. Our neighbor(Lester) in Seymour LOVED your dad's bakery. It was great to 'see' a little bit of home! Thanks for a great blog.

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  9. Yay! to being in the final 100!!!!!!!! OH so THAT is what that question was about... LOL They look absolutely decadently delicious. A TOTAL winner!

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  10. Congrats!!! Making it to the final 100 is really a biggie!
    And... yes I do think it is the year of the waffle. Good luck!

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  11. Congrats! This is a great recipe! I love that butter!!!!

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  12. congratulations!! i'm both happy for you and extremely jealous, not only because you get to compete in a stellar cook-off, but also because you've been feasting on some outstanding waffles! extra butter for me, please. :)
    good luck, and hoo-hoo!

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