It's the hardest thing to wake up in the morning when you're surrounded by snoring dogs and a snoring boyfriend. The floors are cold but the coffee is warm. Only Elsa and Milo wake up with me in the morning; Murphy stays in bed until 9 or 10.
I open the door and they rush to greet the day. Small shadows in the morning light, I sometimes only see the puffs of their barks, shotguns in the pale and deaf morning. They are crepuscular, active when the light stretches the most. Milo and Elsa play with sticks, bite at birds that rest on tree branches just above their heads. I saw a hawk attach a finch the other day through the kitchen window. I just stared until I remembered to call the dogs in.
And there are deer tracks that roam our yard in circles. Whole family come to eat from our yard, as quiet as snow the dogs don't even hear them in the midnight. A mouse has found his way into our garage from the cold and the world seems unfair if you think about it long enough.
I always wake up at six and on the weekends we sometimes pull out the sofa bed and watch I Love Lucy in the mornings, trying to keep warm and keep calm and remind ourselves what a year can do to two people.
Quick and Easy Stroopwafels
This recipe was inspired by Food Network's but I didn't have the waffle cone iron they mandated in their recipes. Instead, I used my basic waffle iron and baked the yeasted dough into a thick round, dipping half in Ghiradelli's dark chocolate and molasses for that signature bite.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup whole milk, warm to the touch
- 1/2 sachet of Red Star Platinum Yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cup AP flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 12 oz dark chocolate
- 2 TB heavy cream
- 1/2 tablespoon dark molasses
Directions:
- Whisk together milk, yeast, and salt and let sit for five minutes or until yeast begins to bubble
- In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and cinnamon
- Add butter and pulse until fat is pea-sized
- Add egg and vanilla, pulse
- With motor running, add wet and process for five seconds or until dough forms
- Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead five or six times
- Rest for an hour in a greased ball
- While dough is resting, get your waffle iron ready!
- Cut into 8 equal pieces, roll each into a ball
- Use your waffle iron to bake each
- Allow to cool while you prepare your chocolate
- In a double boiler, whisk together chocolate, cream, and molasses until fully melted
- Dip your stroopwafels into the chocolate mixture and allow to cool on wax paper
- Eat with your favorite coffee or tea. These can be stored for up to three days in an airtight container
Thank you to Red Star Yeast for sponsoring this post. I believe in using quality products when it comes to baking and I am always confident my dough will rise beautifully with Red Star! Check out the active dry yeast I used for this recipe and others on their website, follow them on instagram and like their Facebook!
And while you're at it...like my Facebook and Instagram too!