King Cake Waffle Pops are a fun Mardi Gras twist, made with store-bought cinnamon rolls in a Dash Mini Waffle maker and finished with a popsicle stick. They are glazed with an icing that hardens on the outside but stays soft inside, and decorated with purple, gold, and green sanding sugar. These Mardi Gras treats are easy to package and share during the festive Carnival season.
Cuisine: Southern, Mardi Gras | Difficulty: Easy | Equipment: Dash Mini Waffle Maker | Special Feature: Waffle pop format (set on a stick during cooking) | Best For: Carnival season, parties, gifting
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These King Cake Waffles
- A fresh take on classic Mardi Gras tradition
- Made with store-bought refrigerated cinnamon rolls, tested and refined
- Iced at room temperature, so no rushing or melting glaze
- Easy to decorate, package, and share
- Fully Chula's Test Kitchen tested and verified
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
- Cinnamon Rolls: Ignore the orange - the packaged icing is not used. The best rolls are those that are rolled, not flecked with cinnamon bits.
- Popsicle Sticks: Use the 6-inch Jumbo popsicle rather than the 4.5-inch sticks. Make sure that they are food-safe.
How to Make the King Cake Waffle Pops - Step-by-Step
- Make Cinnamon Sugar: Whisk together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. This is used to enhance the taste of the store-bought cinnamon rolls.
- Prepare the Cinnamon Rolls: Carefully separate the cinnamon rolls. Unroll each cinnamon roll and spoon on between ½ and ¾ of a teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar. Press the cinnamon sugar into the cinnamon roll dough with the back of the spoon and re-roll the cinnamon roll.
- Preheat and Oil the Mini Waffle Maker: Preheat the Dash Mini waffle maker. Lightly brush the top and bottom plates with a neutral oil.
- Cook the Waffle (timing matters): Place one cinnamon roll about ¼ inch back from the center of the waffle plate. Lower the lid without pressing and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds. After a minute and 30 seconds, apply gentle pressure to flatten and spread the dough. After a total of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, open the waffle maker.
- Insert the Popsicle Stick: Using the tip of a small paring knife, kept parallel to the waffle surface, create a shallow channel. Insert a food-safe popsicle stick about halfway into the waffle. Close the lid and cook for another 1 minute and 30 seconds.
- Cool Completely: Remove the cinnamon roll waffle and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Icing: Beat together confectioners' sugar, light corn syrup, milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Ice and Decorate: Using a small offset spatula, ice the cinnamon roll waffle with about ¾ diagonal coverage. Sprinkle with purple, gold, and green sanding sugar.
King Cake Waffle Pops honor everything one loves about Mardi Gras - tradition, celebration, and a little creativity in the kitchen. Pressed, glazed, and decorated with purpose, they're proof that traditions don't disappear, but rather evolve.
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- I experimented with the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with the cinnamon flecks and those that are rolled. The rolled cinnamon rolls work significantlty better. I also experimented using Rhodes frozen cinnamon rolls. The size and shape didn't work well with the Dash Mini waffle maker.
- I found the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls to be pretty flavorless. That is why I unrolled them and added more cinnamon sugar.
- I experimented using both a 4.5 inch and a 6 inch popsicle stick. The 6 inch popsicle stick (food-safe) was much better proportioned to the waffle size.
- When the cinnamon roll is first added to the waffle maker, I did not try to press down the lid. Rather, I wanted the heat of the waffle maker to loosen the cinnamon roll dough. I waited a full minute and 30 seconds before pressing down the lid. Also, I waited until the cinnamon roll was partially cooked to insert the popsicle stick. This allowed the waffle to set securely around the stick during the final cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but for the best taste and texture, using within 48 hours.
No. The Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls are too large to fit onto the Dash Mini waffle maker.
No. The icing does not contain either butter or cream cheese. Rather, the corn syrup allows the icing to be added to room temperature waffles and hardens on the outside for packaging while leaving the inside soft.
Other King Cake Ideas
If you're a fan of King Cake, you'be come to the right place!
Did you make this recipe? We'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a review below. Then, share a picture on Instagram and tag @pudgefactor so we can see it.
Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Flipboard, and Instagram.
Thank you so much for visiting PudgeFactor. We hope you'll come back!
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of culinary inspiration as a bonus!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Pudge Factor.
King Cake Waffle Pops
Equipment
- Dash mini waffle maker
- Small paring knife
- Pastry brush (for oiling the waffle plates)
- 8 food-safe 6-inch popsicle sticks
- Pastry brush (for oiling plates)Food-safe wooden popsicle sticks (6-inch)Small paring knife or wooden skewerCooling rack
- Wire cooking rack
- Elecctric mixer
- offset spatula
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 13 ounce 8-count Pillsbury refrigerated flaky cinnamon rolls (See Tip 1)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil (See Tip 2)
Icing and Decoration
- 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (0.8 ounces) light corn syrup (See Tip 3)
- 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (1.18 ounces) milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine sea salt or table salt
- Purple, gold, and green sanding sugar
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- Whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Separate the cinnamon rolls into even pieces. Unroll each cinnamon roll and sprinkle with between ½ and ¾ teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar. Press the cinnamon sugar into the cinnamon roll dough with the back of the spoon. Re-roll the cinnamon roll.
- Preheat the mini waffle maker; brush the top and bottom plates lightly with oil.
- Place one cinnamon roll about ¼ inch forward of the center of the bottom plate. Close the lid, but don't press. Allow to cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds. After a minute and 30 seconds, gently press to flatten the cinnamon roll and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Open the waffle maker. Insert the tip of a small paring knife into the waffle, parallel to the surface, to create a channel about 1 inch wide. Insert a popsicle stick halfway into the waffle. Close the lid and continue cooking for an additional minute and 30 seconds. The total cooking time is 4 minutes.
- Transfer the cinnamon roll waffle to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cinnamon rolls.
Icing and Decoration
- Beat the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. If necessary, add a tiny bit more milk to achieve the proper consistency. (See Tip 4)
- Using a small offset spatula, add icing to the front of the cinnamon waffle on a stick, covering the surface diagonally, about 3//4.
- Sprinkle with purple, gold, and green sanding sugar before the icing sets..
- Yield: 8 King Cake Waffle Pops. (See Tip 5)
Video
Tips/Notes
- It's best to use the cinnamon rolls that are rolled, as opposed to those that have cinnamon flecks. I was able to get the rolled cinnamon rolls, but they had orange icing. I discarded the orange icing, so don't be put off by the orange icing on the label.
- I would avoid olive oil. Also, I would avoid using nonstick spray.
- Karo light corn syrup clearly indicates zero grams of high fructose sugar. It's an important ingredient in the icing.
- The icing is a perfect consistency if the ribbons disappear into the icing after 5 to 10 seconds.
- If desired, package in clear cellophane bags with decorative ribbon for gifts.
Leave a Reply