Waffles always seem like one of the fanciest breakfasts to me. It’s probably because in order to make them, you have to have a waffle iron. Plus, they have the perfect nooks and crannies to hold syrup or berries. Though the ingredients are almost identical to pancakes, you usually need to dirty one more dish to whip the egg whites. Usually I prefer to dirty as few dishes as possible, but this additional bowl seems to add to this labor of love.
I doubt anyone needs another reason to love waffles, since they are already perfect and delicious. Since it's Mother’s Day I thought it might be nice to take them one step further—by making chocolate waffles!
This recipe comes from the Stonewall Kitchen Breakfast cookbook. Besides the waffles being chocolate, this recipe gilds the lily by adding chocolate maple syrup. The syrup is actually my favorite part of this recipe. It is quite versatile and could be drizzled over pancakes, scones, or bread pudding; it also tastes divine, like maple ganache.
These waffles are dense and not very sweet, which is good since I drenched mine with an obscene amount of chocolate-maple syrup. I made a few tweaks, adapting the recipe to use chocolate chips, the microwave, and by adding a dash of vanilla, which I noted in the recipe below. The next time I make these I will try whipping two egg whites to stiff peaks and folding them into the batter at the end, to see if they could be a smidge fluffier and crisper. You might also try adding some brewed coffee to bump up the chocolate flavor and thin out the batter.
Are you planning on making your mom breakfast for Mother’s Day? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and let me know what you’re planning to whip up.
Chocolate Waffles with Chocolate-Maple Syrup
From the Stonewall Kitchen Breakfast cookbook
Chocolate-maple syrup:
2 ounces dark chocolate (64% cacao) (I used a heaping 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup maple syrup
Waffle batter:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces dark chocolate (64% cocoa) (I used a heaping 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
Optional toppings:
Mixed fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, and thinly sliced strawberries)
Sour cream or creme fraiche
Powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Chocolate maple-syrup: In a microwave safe bowl, add the maple syrup and microwave for 45 second. Add the chocolate chips and stir to mix until smooth. Microwave together if the chips aren’t thoroughly melted and combined.
Waffle batter: In a microwave safe medium sized bowl, combine butter and chocolate and microwave for 30 seconds, mix until smooth. If the chips haven’t melted, microwave an additional 15 seconds and stir to combine, repeating as necessary.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla to the butter/chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and gently incorporate just until the batter is smooth. (You can make the batter several hours ahead of time.)
Heat a waffle iron until hot. Lightly grease the iron with the vegetable oil by using a pastry brush or a cooking spray.
Add a heaping 1/3 cup batter to the hot waffle iron, close the lid, and cook for about 1 minute, or until golden. Remove the waffle from the iron and serve hot with the Chocolate-Maple Sauce and the berries and sour cream.
Photos by Exit Flag Photography