February 12, 2016

Chocolate waffles

Happy Valentine's Day weekend!  We are facing a freezing cold one but I'm looking forward to the extended weekend with my family.  We're still celebrating Chinese New Year, and I'm eagerly anticipating copious amounts of chocolate consumption on Sunday (though we've had quite a head start on that all month).  
The only snag in my plans is my little guy is under the weather.  Knock on wood, he usually manages to bounce back quickly so I'm keeping an eye on him and hoping he's back to his usual rambunctious self very soon.

While the little guy is resting for the night, let's talk about Valentine's Day one more time.  I really take it as an excuse to make all kinds of chocolate treats.  And with my new waffle maker, I just had to make some chocolate waffles.  
You can call it breakfast or dessert - enjoy it as it is, top it with fresh whipped cream and berries, or with a scoop or two of ice cream (my husband and I managed to do all that already). I'm leaning towards dessert on this one but if ever there's a day for something chocolaty for breakfast, it must be Valentine's Day.
These chocolate waffles are made with whole wheat as well as all-purpose flour, dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and a touch of instant espresso powder.  To make them as chocolaty as possible, there are mini chocolate chips in the batter.  You can't go wrong with that, can you?  

These waffles are not very sweet and I'd say the taste is almost like a cakey brownie, with a crisp edge and a soft, dark cocoa-flavored interior.  I was very happy with how they turned out.
My little one wasn't well enough to enjoy one of these waffles with us yet but I've got his share stashed in the freezer for when he's all better.  Hopefully, we'll all be healthy and enjoying all the chocolaty goodness of Valentine's Day on Sunday.  Have a wonderful weekend!


Can we just take a minute to enjoy the sight of this delicious chocolate waffle batter...
These chocolate waffles are buttermilk waffles and sweetened with brown sugar.  I divided the recipe in half to make 4 Belgian style waffles in my waffle maker.  Believe it or not, I actually increased the amount of oil in the batter (using 3 tablespoons instead of 2 for my batch of four) since I thought we could afford to be a bit more generous and I wanted my waffles to be crisp.
I spread the glorious chocolate batter around the waffle plates and this is how they look a few minutes later:
I was a happy woman!  And my hubby was very happy to share this as dessert with me.
I hope you have a very sweet Valentine's Day with your loved ones.  Let it be filled with all the delicious and happy things you enjoy!

* Before I go, a word on Valentine's Day ambitions...I've been pretty busy making chocolate treats this month.  Aside from the goodies I've posted, there has also been a batch of chocolate gelato (which my husband and I love to use for affogato).
And then there was an attempt at some pink Valentine's Day macarons.  That did not go so well!  The macarons pictured below were the best of the batch.  It was a total fail - cracked tops and no feet!  It was some consolation that my heart-shaped ones (I only attempted a few of those) did not crack, ironically. I am vowing to buy a good sturdy clip-on candy thermometer because tilting the pan was a disaster in making the sugar syrup for this batch of macarons using the Italian method (I must have been lucky last time).  On a redeeming note, they still tasted great and we ate the whole batch so nothing was wasted.
It's the thought - and effort - that counts, right?

Recipe:

Chocolate Waffles
Adapted from Peanut Butter & Julie

- Makes approximately 8 Belgian-style waffles (4x4 square and 1 inch deep) -

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
For serving (optional suggestions): confectioners' sugar, berries, fresh whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate sauce

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.  In another bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, canola oil and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop about 3/4 cup of batter (depending on size/capacity of your waffle maker) into the center of each waffle mold.  Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread batter near the corners.  Close waffle maker and cook according to manufacturers' instructions. Remove waffles and serve immediately with your choice of toppings.




38 comments:

  1. Oh no, hope your lil guy feels better soon :( These waffles look incredible, Monica! Chocolate sounds like the perfect way to start the weekend and I love those adorable macarons you made :) Hope you all stay warm and have a great weekend and Valentine's Day!

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    1. He is all better today, thank goodness! Kids are so resilient, luckily. : )
      Hope you're having a sweet weekend so far. It's freezing here and we're grateful to be snug and warm at home. xo

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  2. Monica hope your little guy feels better soon :) These chocolate waffles look so indulgent and perfect for Valentines day breakfast! Thinking of making these for hubby! And those macarons - Girl are you kidding?! Your's look stunning, you should have seen mine!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Ami. He is all better! What a relief.
      These waffles look so dark and indulgent but really not very sweet or heavy at all. As for those macarons, believe me...I'm hiding behind that instagram filter in this case...they were cracked and missing their feet...but thank goodness, still tasty..because I hate to waste!

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  3. These chocolate waffles look amazing! I need to get a new waffle maker too.
    Hope your little guy get well soon, Monica.

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    1. Thank you, Angie. He was yakking away and back to his usual self today. That's the best! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

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  4. These look sinfully delicious! What a way to start the day!

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    1. They do look devilishly delicious, I think. ; ) I think I prefer them as dessert but hey, Valentine's Day is the day to go a little wild.

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  5. Happy Valentines Day! I'm sure you're going to have a great one with these on your breakfast table :D

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    1. Thank you, Lorraine. I know there must be amazing treats at your house. Have a wonderful day with your hubby!

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks, Medha. I think anything chocolate always looks incredible. : )

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  7. Hi Monica, hope your little guys feels better soon, seems to be a pretty bad one this year. Love these waffles, they look delicious!

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    1. He is all back to his normal self - thank goodness! Hope you're well, Cheri!

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  8. These chocolate waffles look super delicious. Yum Yum. :)

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    1. They turned out really nicely. I was happy. : )

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  9. What a decadent treat for Valentine's breakfast! Hope your little guy is well soon.

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    1. We did enjoy some yesterday...fun to have double chocolate waffles for a special occasion. : )

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  10. Hope your little man is feeling better already! Mum's having such a delicious treat for him:-)I have never made a waffle from scratch...can you believe it? Love them and am going to get a waffle maker soon using this recipe for inspiration.

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    1. Thank you - he bounced right back by Saturday morning and yesterday, I warmed the leftover waffles and topped them with ice cream and a little hot fudge sauce. The little guy loved it...I think the chocolate sauce deserved a lot of credit but these waffles were fun and really tasty. : )

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  11. Oh my word - these look amazing! I bet they are so tasty. I love that you served them with berries and I love the look of your waffle maker - I will have to check it out. Hope you enjoyed your day with extended family celebrating Valentine's Day and Chinese Year too - what fun! Hope your son is better too. We had the single digit temperatures last night with snow starting just a few minutes ago. Going to be an ugly day tomorrow. Thanks for this great recipe!

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    1. Thanks, Tricia. It's snowing today and then temps actually go up and rain is coming tomorrow. This weather has been topsy turvy. The little one is all well and we had these waffles with ice cream and hot fudge yesterday. Oh my...I was popular! ; )

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  12. These waffles are making me hungry ♥

    summerdaisy.net

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    1. It's a natural side effect of reading food blog, I think. ; )

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  13. Hello Monica! Happy Chinese New Year! Hope you are feeling better too ; ) Another tasty waffles recipe.

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  14. These chocolate waffles look delicious! I love that you put berries on them too - what a lovely breakfast.

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    1. Thanks, Amy. The berries somehow justify them for breakfast, maybe? ; )

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  15. Chocolate waffles sound perfect. Hope your little one is feeling better!

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    1. Hi Lynn - thank you! He's all better and we're all out of chocolate waffles. : )

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  16. Your waffles look to die for! I love chocolate but usually only get to eat the regular waffles -- must try this.

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    1. I can't remember the last time I ever had chocolate-chocolate waffles. I'll be making them again for sure.

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  17. Your chocolate waffle is full of indulgence. It's the perfect treat for Valentine's. I love it! Chocolate makes February extra special! And I hope your little one is doing better now!

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    1. I do love February despite the temps and weather and well...winter! All the chocolate makes up for it all. : )

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  18. WOW! That looks so perfect, beautiful and delicious :-)

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    1. Thanks - it's awfully good with ice cream and chocolate sauce, too.

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  19. Chocolate waffles? Oh my, this looks SO good!! Hope you had a great Valentine's Day :)

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    1. Yes - and thank you...V-Day was lovely. Hope the same was the case for you.

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