Chocolate Waffles

I am a big waffle fan. So much so that I have "Waffle Sundays". But recently, I came to the sad realization that my current waffle iron (an old cheap one that my family had and when I moved to MO, my mother gave to me as I was the only one that ate waffles) was not up to par. It didn't heat well (or evenly) so I had tasty but limp waffles. So I decided to buy a new one to fully appreciate Waffle Sundays. And for the inaugural Waffle Sunday with new waffle iron, I made special chocolate waffles courtesy of Mr. Alton Brown.

Fortunately, I already had all of the ingredients (and I had to sub one, the buttermilk) so I was glad I didn't have to buy anything extra. I did cut the recipe down by half as I didn't want that many waffles.

All in all, waffle making is pretty easy. Dry ingredients get mixed together.

Eggs, vanilla and melted butter get mixed.

Then the "buttermilk" goes into the egg mixture. I used a cup of regular milk with one tablespoon of white vinegar mixed in and then I let that sit for about 10 minutes to thicken. I went to the store and looked for buttermilk, but the smallest container was 4 cups. I only needed 1 cup, hence the substitution. It works well for baking and cooking, but I hear you don't want to use it for "raw" buttermilk applications, like salad dressing or something.

Wet meets dry (and chocolate chips).

And you're supposed to stir until just combined and no more. If you watch the waffle episode of Good Eats, Alton harps on you to not stir it too much. After a quick stir, you let it sit for 5 minutes and it gets all bubbly and light.

I used this waiting time to heat up the new waffle iron! I got the "American" waffle iron instead of the "Belgian" waffle iron. I kind of like the smaller holes better and a slightly thinner waffle. It fits in the toaster better for reheating.

After a little fiddling with the proper batter amount, ta-da! Perfect waffle! Crispy and awesome and much better than my old waffle iron.

Verdict? The waffles were good. Not super sweet but very chocolatey. Like the dark chocolate of waffles. While the process of making homemade waffles was relatively easy, unless there's a special occasion Waffle Sunday, I think I'll stick to being lazy and using a pancake/waffle mix like Bisquick.


Chocolate Waffles
makes approximately 6 (8-inch round) waffles (note: my half recipe made about 5)

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Vegetable spray for waffle iron

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl beat together the eggs and melted butter and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in the chocolate chips just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the center of the iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is crispy on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.