I actually made these waffles a couple weeks ago, but I've been a bit distracted and haven't had a chance to sit down and write out the recipe 'til now.

They were really excellent. Sprinkling the chopped nuts over each portion individually as it went into the waffle iron was a bit fiddly. I might try just stirring the pecan chunks directly into the batter next time. But other than that, I have no complaints. The waffles came out great and everybody loved them!

Butter-Pecan Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1 c. pecan halves, toasted
• 250g all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 2 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and nutty (6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Preheat your waffle iron.
3. Finely chop the toasted pecans (preferably in a food processor). Set half of the nuts aside.
4. Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda to the remaining nuts and process/blend until finely ground and well-mixed. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
5. Beat the egg yolks with the buttermilk and vanilla.
6. Gradually whisk the browned butter into the buttermilk mixture.
8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined. (Some lumps are okay.)
9. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
10. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
11. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and sprinkle with ~1 Tbsp. of the reserved chopped pecans. Close the waffle iron and cook according the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
12. Serve with maple syrup, cream cheese, and/or whipped cream.