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.