Cheesy Pumpkin Monster Waffles
Children will love these fun Monster Waffles for Halloween – let their imaginations run wild creating silly veggie faces!
These are very cheesy waffles with hidden pumpkin purée. They make a perfect crunchy snack for kids who aren’t that keen on their veg but love beige foods and are a perfect way to use up any spare pumpkin at this time of year.
Packed with calcium and protein, these make a great meal in one – you can give these waffles as a simple savoury option at breakfast time, or even in a lunchbox or as an after-school snack.
Spelt is a tummy friendly ancient grain from the wheat family and tends to be more digestible than modern day wheat. If you need to make these gluten-free then use a gluten-free flour blend or a 50:50 mixture of sorghum flour and chickpea flour.
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Cheesy Pumpkin Monster Waffles
Ingredients
- 320 g Spelt Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika (sweet)
- 120 g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- 2 Eggs
- 250 ml Milk (your favourite type)
- 200 g Pumpkin Purée (see Cook’s Tips below)
- 25 g Butter (melted)
- Salt & Pepper
Decorations
- 6 florets Broccoli
- 3 Radishes
- 6 Olives (black)
- 6 slices Cucumber
- 25 g Sunflower Seeds
- 1 Red Pepper
Instructions
- Firstly, set your waffle maker to warm up whilst you make the waffle mixture.
- In a large bowl, add the spelt flour, baking powder, sweet smoked paprika, grated cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, pumpkin purée and melted butter. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and stir lightly until just combined.
- Brush the waffle maker lightly with olive oil and use an ice cream scoop to fill the bottom iron – don’t overfill as you really don’t want the batter spilling over the sides. Close the lid and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Remove the waffles and keep warm whilst making the next batch.
- Whilst the waffles are cooking, prep the toppings: lightly steam the broccoli and slice. Slice the radishes and top with slices of black olive to create monster eyes. Halve the cucumber slices, slice the pepper into mouth shapes, have the sunflower seeds ready to make scary teeth.
- Serve the waffles warm, and get creative with the veggie decorations to create fun monster faces!
Notes
You can find pure pumpkin purée tinned in the supermarket, or you can easily make your own:
Preheat the oven to 180c, line a baking tray with baking paper. Halve a small pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and place the two halves face down onto the prepped tray. Bake for around 45-60 mins until cooked through. Allow to cool, scoop out the flesh and whizz in a blender until smooth.
- For gluten-free, switch spelt flour to sorghum flour or gluten-free oat flour.
- For egg-free waffles, omit the eggs and use a mix of 160g spelt/160g gram flour.
- For dairy-free and butter-free, use olive oil and vegan mozarella or cheddar alternative. You can also make them taste cheesy with a tablespoon or yeast flakes smooshed up into the pumpkin purée.
- Extra waffles can be open-frozen and stored for up to 3 months. Pop them into the toaster to defrost and reheat.
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