Quite Possibly The Best Waffle I've Ever Eaten!

  I've had a waffle recipe I've been wanting to try for quite some time now. So why haven't I? Well, this waffle batter takes more time to make than your standard waffle recipe. This isn't something you could whip up any old morning (at least not in this crazy house), so I decided to make them for dinner. I've said this before, but breakfast for dinner is an exciting time in my household. My children are thrilled when they ask "what's for dinner" and I tell them "waffles" (or some other such breakfast favorite). So, last night I set out to make Carrot Cake Waffles. This is a recipe from Willow Bird Baking, a blogger who's recipes I have made before and loved. This waffle recipe calls for "blooming" spices into lightly browned butter. She does mention you can skip this step; DON'T! In my humble opinion, browned butter and the method of blooming the spices into it is what makes these waffles so incredibly fantastic. My children have no patience when they walk into the kitchen and see waffles on the table so I do not have any pictures of my own. Here's a picture courtesy of Willow Bird Baking just to get your mouth watering.

  I did make a couple changes to this recipe. I typically make a recipe the way it's written the first time I try it so I know if and how to alter it the next time, but there were some things about this recipe I knew I needed to change because of personal preferences.

First the batter: 
-I reduced the nutmeg to 3/4 teaspoon and allspice to 1/2 teaspoon.
-I used 3/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. I did not have buttermilk and I find that making my own doesn't quite get it to the consistency of what you buy in the store. Yogurt was something she suggested so I decided to use some to bring up the acidity in the batter.
-I left out the raisins and walnuts. My husband hates raisins and I had other plans for nuts.

The topping:
-I tasted the topping after adding 4 tablespoons maple syrup and it wasn't quite sweet enough for me. That could be because I used homemade syrup. I ended up adding about 1/3 cup maple syrup to my cream cheese.
-Instead of adding the walnuts called for in the recipe I topped our waffles with homemade pralines. I had some in the freezer I had made previously. Praline-topped carrot cake waffles are phenomenal!!! The crunch and flavor from the pralines took this dish over the top.

  Make these for breakfast, make them for dinner, make them for a late-night snack, just make them!