Baking Chez Moi - Granola Energy Bars

I'm glad I made these Granola Energy Bars and our second recipe for January, Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake, a few weeks ago, or this post may have fallen by the wayside...

Last week was irritating to say the least, with flooding in my bedroom, a backed up kitchen sink, and Trapper battling yet another health issue. Things settled down by Friday, and I had a great time photographing a Tuscan Peasant cooking class taught by cookbook author Pamela Sheldon Johns on Saturday, and a relaxing, rainy Sunday editing photos and getting some things done around the house.

The original plan for this batch of granola bars was to fly FedEx to TN for the start of baseball season and long days, but that didn't happen with all the chaos. Instead, I was able to snack on a few during the week, and passed out the rest to a few friends and coworkers. I plan on making another batch this week and getting them mailed!

I've made granola bars before, but never with brown rice syrup, which is used as the binding agent in these. The remaining ingredients include old-fashioned oats, nuts and seeds of your choice, dried fruit of your choice, shredded coconut, salt, butter and vanilla extract. I used dried apricots and cherries, almonds, sunflower seeds, and pepitas.

The oats, nuts and seeds are toasted...

and mixed with the dried fruit, coconut and salt. The brown rice syrup and butter are melted, vanilla added, and then the hot mixture is poured into the bowl and mixed until the granola is evenly moistened.

The sticky granola is firmly pressed into a parchment lined pan, baked, pressed down again, allowed to cool, and cut into bars.

The bars keep well for a week, and are great with morning coffee or tea, or anytime throughout the day when you need a snack.

Tuesdays with Dorie is an online cooking group where anyone can bake along. We bake with two books – Baking with Julia and Baking Chez Moi. I am baking along with the Baking Chez Moi group, which bakes two recipes per month and posts on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. We are asked to refrain from including the actual recipe in our posts, to promote the publishing industry and encourage others to buy the cookbooks.



Two other great cookbooks by Dorie...

Cooking on a Whim - Nutella Granola, Corned Beef Hash and Happy Hour Cookies

Cooking and blogging continue to be sporadic…lately, the mood strikes when I see something on one of the blogs I follow or in my Facebook newsfeed. I really wanted to Cook the Cover of Bon Appetit this month (Savory Short-Rib Beef Pies), but had just made Natchitoches Meat Pies and wasn't motivated enough to track down boneless beef short ribs after striking out at the local market.

My latest whim was inspired by David Lebovitz' Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola. I like snacking on granola occasionally, but I thought it would be fun to make a special batch to ship to Tennessee to take on the road for an out of town baseball tournament. I adapted the recipe to include a few of his favorites - Nutella, bananas, coffee, and pineapple. Unfortunately, since this was a last-minute whim, and without thought to overnight shipping cost, two pounds of granola will now be waiting on the doorstep when he arrives home! Sorry FedEx, not paying $90!

I have quickly become addicted to my Nutella version, but would like to try David's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip version. Please consult his blog for the original recipe and preparation method, but this is a list of what I used in my adaptation (I added the coffee to the pan when I warmed the Nutella, orange honey and brown sugar):

Nutella Granola 

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw macadamia nuts, very coarsely chopped
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup banana chips
3/4 cup dried pineapple
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground coffee
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup orange honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

A few other recent whims included Bon Appetit's Corned Beef Hash, which I made for St. Patrick's Day dinner….

And Bon Appetit's Savory Black Pepper and Parmesan Cookies, to share at our community's weekly happy hour. 

Walking back from the clubhouse, after happy hour, I caught a glimpse of crisp white sails against the dark sky, and ran inside to grab my camera…Spring was here last week, but has been a no-show this week!

We're Still Here - Sipping Bubbly and Noshing on Cinnamon-Orange French Toast

I had a feeling this would happen. Blog every day for the month of November for NaBloPoMo, and then lack any motivation to blog at all for another month. It's been two weeks, but I've also been fighting a nasty cold for almost that long. Top that off being served yesterday with a notice my lease will not be renewed in February, the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and my career still up in the air....you can imagine I'm ready to pack a suitcase, throw Trapper in the car, and head to Tennessee. Tennessee? What?!!

Trapper, are you ready to go?

Did someone say road trip?

I was semi-motivated to get back in the kitchen yesterday. All those Christmas cookie recipes have been tempting me for weeks, and I always have good intentions to bake cookies as gifts for friends, so I went shopping to stock up on the basics - butter, flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate...

I was also in the mood for Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Pot Pie for dinner (kindly disregard the intro in that blog post, as well as those photos - girls, things can also get worse), and bought ingredients to make that recipe. I ran out of steam before making the crust and opted for a "crumble" instead - pie dough crumbled onto a baking sheet and baked until golden brown. My filling was freshly made and still hot, so I simply spooned some into a bowl and sprinkled the crunchy, golden brown crumble over the top. It saved the time it would have taken to chill the dough, roll it out, assemble and bake complete chicken pot pies.

Let's see, where was I going with this blog post?

Oh, I also bought a bottle of bubbly to enjoy while cooking. However, because the Chicken Pot Pie is a bit labor intensive with roasting and cooling the breasts, and preparing the stock, filling and dough, I only had time to make the dough for one of the cookies recipes. It's still chilling in the refrigerator today, but I hope to get a few batches in the oven soon. I enjoyed a few glasses of bubbly while cooking and listening to a mix of country music on Pandora.  A glass or two of bubbly is guaranteed to boost your holiday spirit, as least for a few hours.

This morning, after soaking in a good hour of sunshine on Starbuck's patio (San Diego has been in the high 70's this weekend), I had a craving for French toast. I just happened to have bread and fresh eggs from shopping yesterday, but I wanted to make it a bit more festive to go with the rest of the bubbly. Inspired by Panera's Cinnamon Crunch bagels (I think they have a French Toast version also), I enhanced the egg dip with half and half, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean paste, and Grand Mariner. After dipping the bread, I sprinkled a tiny bit of brown sugar on the side going down in the hot, buttered pan. Before flipping the slices, I sprinkled a little more brown sugar on the other side. French toast with little spots of cinnamon crunch. No additional butter or syrup was needed - just a little sprinkle of orange zest. If you're trying to impress someone other than yourself and your dog, add a few slices of bacon and some berries.

Okay, I'm off to bake cookies. Enjoy your Sunday!

Bon Appetit's May Cook the Cover Challenge - Blackberry Farm's Griddle Cakes

What is it about luxury ranches and farms serving the most amazing stack of pancakes you've ever tasted? When the rooster crows at the first hint of morning light, you had better roll out from beneath those Egyptian cotton sheets and goose down comforter, slip on a soft flannel shirt and faded pair of jeans, and make your way to the lodge for a steamy cup of java and towering stack of buttery, syrupy griddle cakes. You'll be thankful you did before setting out on that morning hike, horseback ride, or fly-fishing float trip.

Blackberry Farm, a pastoral 4,200-acre estate in the Great Smoky Mountains, captured the #1 spot in Bon Appetit's Top Ten Food Lovers Hotels in America list, most likely with a little help from these drool-worthy griddle cakes. I can call them drool-worthy because Trapper polished off this stack when I was done photographing it. I nibbled a few as I was cooking them and made a second batch the next morning to enjoy piping hot right out of the pan. Best. Pancakes. Ever.

Blackberry Farm's Griddle Cakes

These healthy and gluten-free pancakes corral wonderful taste and texture from buttermilk, egg, and four different flours - oat, buckwheat, corn, and brown rice. Instead of corn flour, I used polenta for a more rustic and grainy texture. You can even ditch the warm maple syrup on top (there's a little in the batter for sweetness) and stay healthy with a pat of butter and fresh berries.

Dry and Wet Ingredients

Whisk up each in separate bowls 

Combine the wet with the dry and whisk again

Add melted butter and whisk again 

Corporate Chef Josh Feathers demos preparation of the Griddle Cakes in this YouTube video:

Bon Appetit published the recipe here. Now go make some pancakes and plan a vacation to one of the 10 Best Hotels for Food Lovers. These luxury hotels and resorts focus on quality food made with locally grown ingredients and prepared simply. My choices would be #1, Blackberry Farm, TN; #3, The Willows Inn, WA; #4 Dunton Hot Springs, CO; and #9 Manka's Inverness Lodge, CA. What about you? Have you been to any of these places?

Easing Back with Blueberry-Pumpkin Seed Energy Bars

There's a Newf in My Soup! is happy to announce Denise and Trapper have moved into a new cottage in Coronado. It was touch and go there for quite a few months trying to find the perfect cottage and yard, but things always seem to work out. We had to downsize quite a bit and it has been challenging finding a place for the things we chose to keep. Charming, cozy, and little bit of rustic make our 600-square-foot house feel like home. Best of all, we're happy to be able to stay in Coronado. I have a nice kitchen with a gas stove and dishwasher again, and Trapper is thrilled with his large yard. It's peaceful with lots of grass, big shady trees, rose bushes and citrus trees...and alley cats and fence-walking possums to scare away with his big Newfy bark.

We're in a quiet corner of the island, and only 1/2 block from the bay. Picnics at I Street Park, which is also prime viewing for the Parade of Lights and fireworks, and walks along bay are all pluses. For weekday morning coffee, we now frequent Tartine, a little French bistro and bakery, and save Starbucks for the weekend.

I've neglected the blog for over a month - in part due to packing and unpacking, but mostly due to lack of energy and motivation. Transitions are difficult.  I haven't been cooking or eating right, and haven't felt much like writing. I did cook a few blog-worthy dishes in the past month, and even took the time to photograph them, but the blog posts remain unfinished, in draft. One was Mike Isabella's Eggplant Caponata and the other was Tasting Table's Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Oyster Mushrooms and Sunchokes with Creamy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. 

Pan-Roasted Local Sea Bass and Eggplant Caponata

Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Oyster Mushrooms and Sunchokes

Both of those dishes truly deserve to have their own blog posts.  The Eggplant Caponata is sure to make an appearance at Concert in the Park this summer. If you haven't tried Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes), you need to do so. They're one of the "trendy" foods right now. I enjoyed a sunchoke soup while in Yosemite and they are fabulous roasted in this side dish as well.

***

To ease back into cooking and blogging, I decided to start with something simple and healthy. While sitting at Tartine one morning and browsing through the cooking magazines from the magazine rack, I came across several recipes, including this one, in the February issue of Food & Wine. I am in need of some energy to begin this new chapter in my life and while Tartine's warm scones are tempting, they are best resisted on most mornings.

These honey-flavored cereal bars with puffed rice and toasted oats, from Real Snacks by Lara Ferroni, make a great substitute for store-bought energy bars. They can be made with almost any mix of nuts and dried fruit. - Food & Wine

I chose to adapt the recipe to use the dried blueberries and sliced almonds I had on hand. I added lemon zest and cinnamon to intensify the flavor of the blueberries. I was unable to find puffed rice in two stores and used Kashi 7 Whole Grain Honey Puffs - a combination of buckwheat, triticale, rye, hard red wheat, barley, oats, brown rice and sesame seeds.

Toast the sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and rolled oats

After toasting, transfer to a large bowl

Make a caramel with butter, brown sugar, honey and salt

Add vanilla and cinnamon

Drizzle caramel over nut and oat mixture

Stir to evenly incorporate

Puffed rice or 7-Grain Kashi, blueberries and lemon zest

Stir in the puffed rice, blueberries and lemon zest until evenly coated

Scrape the cereal mixture into the parchment lined pan

Spread evenly, cover with another sheet of parchment and press down to compress

After a few hours, remove from pan and cut into bars

Blueberry-Pumpkin Seed Energy Bars
Adapted from Cranberry-Pumpkin Seed Energy Bars
Food & Wine, February 2013

1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup flaxseeds
2/3 cup muscovado or dark brown sugar
½ cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups puffed rice cereal (I used Kashi 7 Whole Grain Honey Puffs)
½ cup dried blueberries
½ teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Spread the almonds, oats, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds on the sheet and bake until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, honey, butter and salt to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved and a light brown caramel forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.

Drizzle the caramel all over the nut-and-oat mixture. Stir in the puffed rice, blueberries and lemon zest until evenly coated.

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, extending the paper over the side. Scrape the cereal mixture into the dish and spread into an even layer. Cover the mixture with a second sheet of parchment and press down to compress it. Let stand until firm, about 2 hours. Discard the top piece of parchment. Using the overhanging paper, lift out the cereal square and transfer it to a work surface. Cut into 12 bars and serve.

To store, wrap bars individually in plastic wrap and eat within a few days or freeze.

We promise to cook and blog more

French Fridays with Dorie: French Country Benedict

John is the biscuit-maker in our house. He has perfected John Besh's Grandmother Walters's Biscuits, and has been known to bake up a batch of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Other than those, and a bite or two of his Biscuits and Gravy at a country cafe in our local mountains, my life has been pretty much void of biscuits.

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, St-Germain-des-Prés Onion Biscuits, is Dorie's adaptation of the basic American biscuit. She adds chopped and quickly sauteed onions to the dough, cuts the dough into trendy cocktail-size rounds, and serves them with country ham and Champagne. Dorie's biscuits, named after her swanky Paris neighborhood, are now a staple at her cocktail parties.

St-Germain-des-Prés Onion Biscuits

I needed to make a meal out of these biscuits, so I decided to do a slight twist on Country Benedict, which replaces the English muffin, ham and hollandaise sauce in traditional Eggs Benedict with an American biscuit, sausage patties, and country gravy. The poached eggs are replaced with eggs fried to choice. I used St-Germain-des-Prés Onion Biscuits, sausage patties made with Jimmy Dean sage sausage, and country gravy; I did stay with poached eggs.

French Country Benedict

Breakfast for dinner is nice on occasion, and our French Country Benedict was simple and satisfying. 

Dorie's recipe for St-Germain-des-Prés Onion Biscuits can be found here. Other than the onions, the recipe is almost identical to the John Besh recipe we've used. Some biscuit recipes use buttermilk, instead of milk, and add a teaspoon of baking soda. Thomas Keller uses a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour (he also uses buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda). 

Critical factors in biscuit-making are: Proper ratios of flour, leavener (baking powder and/or soda), salt, fat (usually butter), and liquid (milk, buttermilk, cream); quick cutting of the fat into the dry ingredients to keep the butter cold and firm (food processor with a steel blade works best); stirring in the liquid just until the ingredients are bound, so the gluten will not become activated (i.e, DON'T OVERWORK); gently patting the dough into a 3/4-inch thickness rather than rolling it with a rolling pin; resist twisting the cutter when cutting the biscuits; and high oven temperature (425 degrees F) with a short baking time (15-18 minutes). It probably goes without saying, but biscuits are best hot from the oven. We also like sprinkling the tops of the biscuits with a pinch of salt just before baking.

For perfect poached eggs, I used the method I learned from Michael Rulman, and for the country gravy, I used this recipe from Homesick Texan.

***

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!

Missing Diver - Finding Comfort from Friends and Blueberry Pancakes

It was a year ago today, when we received that 1:00 a.m., gut-wrenching call from the vet telling us that Diver, our 3-year-old Newfoundland, had just gone into cardiac arrest. Not knowing how he suddenly became sick, and not being able to be by his side, still breaks my heart.

Our early morning walks to coffee have never been the same, and people still stop and ask, "didn't you have two?"

Diver loved to put his front paws up on the bench in front of Starbucks for hugs

We're grateful to have Dooley, at 12 1/2 years old, and cherish every moment we can spend with him. I know he misses Diver, too.

Dooley, on Saturday, hanging out in the front yard while we worked in the garden

On Saturday morning, I had a craving for blueberry pancakes.  As I stood at the stove, with thoughts of Diver weighing heavily on my mind, Pammy and Archie walked up the back steps. Pammy is Diver's Fairy Dogmother, and her timing couldn't have been better.

We're thankful for a friend like Pammy, and Dooley's thankful for a friend like Archie.

***

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Food Network

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for the skillet
2 cups fresh blueberries
Warm maple syrup for serving

Preheat an oven to 200ºF. Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet and put in the oven.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, incorporating into a lumpy batter. Overmixing results in flat, heavy pancakes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Grease the skillet lightly with butter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake (three pancakes fit comfortably in my large skillet; the batter is thick, but will spread out as the pancakes cook. Scatter 6-8 blueberries over the top of each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flip pancakes over with a spatula, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked pancakes to the rack and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes; serves 4.

***

We think of you all the time, Goofy-boy, and miss you so much

Coronado Concerts in the Park - On a Raft

We're on our fourth Coronado Concert in the Park season, and there's no shortage of ideas for culinary themes. This past Sunday's On a Raft theme seemed to flow naturally after On a Stick, and complemented the tropical rock and roll performed by Stars on the Water.

One of my cookbooks, Big Small Plates, is organized by similar chapters: Sticks, Picks, and with Fingers; Dressed, Not Naked; Bowls and Spoons; On a Raft; Knife and Fork; and Something Sweet. In old diner lingo, if something came "on a raft," it meant that the food was served up on toast. Our group stretched that concept to include buns, naan bread, baguette slices, graham crackers, jicama slices, endive and lettuce leaves, tortilla chips, tart shells, nut crusts, hollowed out orange halves, and melon slices.

Liege Waffles served as my rafts, carrying fresh cherries macerated in Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine. We got hooked on this particular spirit at New Orleans' Cochon restaurant. It tastes like a smooth, sweet liqueur, with hints of vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, and it flavored the cherries beautifully.

Liege Waffles, originating from Liège, Belgium, are very special waffles. They were invented by the chef of the prince-bishop of Liège in the 18th century as an adaptation of brioche bread dough, resulting in a richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier waffle. When baked, chunks of pearl sugar partially melt on the inside of the waffle, and caramelize on the outside. Preparation is a two-day process, but the reward is well worth the effort. Toppings are optional, and really not necessary.

The Liege Waffle recipe I followed appears at the bottom of this post. But first, here are a few photos from the evening...

Drunken Cherries aboard a Liege Waffle Raft

Sandra with one of Lauren's S'mores

Jack with one of Sandra's amazing Pressed Cuban-style Burgers

One of Pammy's salads, incorporating jicama rafts

Jim feeding Bradley Lemon Tart

Bradley's Naan bread rafts topped with grilled sausage and mozzarella



Very important in our crowd



Olivia scooping her homemade sorbet into orange rafts

Jim and Sam

Jim and Sam's Prosciutto slices holding on tight to cantaloupe rafts

Sliced baguette rafts carrying salami

Jack and John enjoying another "theme" of the evening

Two out of four pairs of white, gauze pants...the other theme of the evening.  Going Commando??

Men will be boys...

Kai's Veggie Lettuce Rafts



Carmen's Strawberry Shortcake sandwiched between raw nut-crust rafts

Carmen's Beet and Artichoke Hummus on endive rafts

Stars on the Water played "tropical" rock and roll

****

LIEGE WAFFLES

The first step for liege waffles is finding authentic Belgium Pearl Sugar. I ordered mine from Get a Waff, and I was very pleased with the service, prompt shipping, and quality.

Get a Waff included a recipe for liege waffles with the bag of sugar, but I was impressed by the recipe I found here. I intend on trying Get a Waff's recipe, which does not require as much resting time or overnight refrigeration, and I'll update this post when I do.

Liege Waffles
Slightly adapted and doubled from this recipe
Makes about 10 regular size, or 20 snack-size waffles

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup scalded whole milk (110-115 F)
5 tablespoons water (110-115 F)
4 cups King Arthur bread flour
2 large eggs (room temperature egg, lightly beaten)
2 tablespoons light brown Muscovado sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
1-1/2 cups Belgian Pearl Sugar

Preparation:

Place yeast, milk, and water into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir for a few seconds to moisten the yeast.

Add the eggs and 1/3 of the total flour. Mix to blend. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mixture, but do not stir. Cover and let stand about 90 minutes (at the end of that time, you’ll notice the batter bubbling up through the cover of flour).

Add brown sugar and salt to the bowl, and mix on low speed to blend.

With machine on low, add the honey, vanilla, and butter, two tablespoons of butter at a time.

Increase speed to medium-low and continue mixing 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides once or twice during that period. Turn the mixer off and let the dough rest for 1 minute, and then continue to mix for 2 additional minutes. The dough should start sticking to the sides of the bowl during the last minute of mixing and, in the last 30 seconds of so, should start to ball-up on the paddle. If this does not happen, let the dough rest for 1 more minute and mix for another 2 minutes. Whatever the outcome of the extra mixing, proceed to the next step.

Scrape the dough into a large bowl, sprinkle lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 4 hours. This step is crucial for developing the flavor.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before proceeding. This is essential to allow yeast respiration to slow.

Gently deflate the gases from the dough by pressing on it with a rubber spatula. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, and then use the spatula to press the dough into a long rectangle. Fold that rectangle over on itself (by thirds – like a letter) so that you have a square of dough. Wrap it in plastic, weigh it down with two heavy dinner plates on top of it, and refrigerate overnight. (Note: Since I doubled the recipe, I probably should have separated the dough into two pieces. I did have a slight explosion of dough through my plastic wrap during the refrigeration process).

The next day, place the cold, firm dough in a large bowl and add 1/2 of the pearl sugar. Mix the sugar into the dough by hand until the chunks are well-distributed. Add the remaining 1/2 of the sugar and do the same.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces of equal size (about 3.5 ounces or 100 grams). If making the smaller size, divide into 20 portions.

Shape each piece of dough into into an oval, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise for 90 minutes.

Cooking temperatures of waffle irons vary, so this is where you'll need to experiment. If you have a professional waffle iron, the waffles cook at 365-370 degrees F (the maximum temp before sugar begins to burn/decompose) for approximately 2 minutes.

If you have a regular waffle iron, heat the iron to 420 degrees F, place an oval of dough on the iron, close the iron, and immediately turn the temperature dial all the way down to prevent the sugar from burning.

I used a Waring Pro Waffle Iron, but also took advantage of our infrared thermometer to monitor the temperature. I found that setting the dial to "6" heated up the iron to 420 degrees. Once I put in the dough and closed the iron, I turned the dial down to "3" and cooked each waffle a tad over 2 minutes. You do want to see the caramelized sugar form on the outside, but not to the point of burning. I allowed the iron to heat back up between waffles. Again, you'll need to experiment, but I had great results after playing with the first two.

Be very careful when removing the hot waffle from the iron, or you will be burned by the caramelized sugar. Transfer the hot waffles to a cooling rack and allow to cool briefly before serving. Although better warm, I made mine a few hours in advance, wrapped them in foil, and served them at room temperature. I don't think I'll ever go back to any other kind of waffle.