Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles

. . . And An Appliance Review

If you've been reading this blog, then you know that I'm not a fan of appliances that only serve one function. The "One Trick Ponies" of the appliance world if you will. And, no offense to "Babycakes" but they seem to have a whole line of these "One Trick Ponies". Cake Pop Makers, Pie Pop Makers, Mini Donut Makers, Mini Cupcake Makers, the list goes on and on. Now I'm not faulting you if you have, use and like these machines. They do make light work of these treats. So if you have the counter, cabinet and/or wallet resources for these, and you enjoy them, knock yourself out. They just aren't for me. All that being said, you just can't make waffles without a waffle iron. So I concede my aversion to appliance single taskers in the case of the waffle iron. And . . . as Kohl's just happened to put all their "Babycakes" appliances on sale for $19.99, and . . . as I just so happened to have a 30% off coupon for  Kohl's, I embraced my hypocrisy and purchased the "Waffle Stick Maker". 

And . . . 

I . . . 

LOVE . . . 

IT! 

It's the 4th waffle iron I've owned and for whatever reason, it seems to work best out of them all. I've used it about 5 or 6 times now and am still loving it. First, I like that it makes the individual "sticks". They are easier for the kids, no knife and fork needed, just a quick dip in syrup and breakfast is a go. Also the turn around seems to be quicker. Less time waiting around for the next waffle, more waffle eating. It has a great non-stick surface*; I've not once oiled or sprayed it and not once have the waffles stuck. A quick wipe with a dry paper towel and it's clean. Lastly, it cooks evenly and the "ready" light actually indicates that the waffles are done. It doesn't have a temperature adjustment and it's orange (not my favorite color), but I don't mind. It works and that's what really matters. 

*I'm also not a big fan of non-stick cookware. I've read too many reputable articles that talk about the toxic off-gassing that can occur when non-stick gets too hot. No thank you, I'll stick to cast iron and stainless steel. But, since those surface temperatures are well above 400°F (which has been proven to happen on cooktops and in ovens) and the waffle stick maker's surface doesn't get nearly that hot, I'm ok with it in this scenario. You'll have to decide for yourself.

So enough about waffle irons, let's get to making some waffles. Up until this weekend I've been using the waffle recipe on the box of "Trader Joe's Buttermilk Pancake All Purpose Baking Mix" with a splash of almond extract (my secret ingredient, shhhh don't tell.) We love 'em. But this saturday was my baby girl's 15th birthday so I wanted it to be a little extra special. What's more special than Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles. YUM! I chose Alton Brown's recipe from the Food Network web site. I've had really good luck with many of Alton's recipes so I figured it was a good choice. It got good reviews but many said the cocoa was too overwhelming and they added extra sugar. Not so in my opinion. I made them just like the recipe except for the buttermilk substitution (see below). The whole fam loved these. Five stars all around. A quick dusting of powdered sugar was all they needed.

Start by stirring together all the dry ingredients (AP flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda). I used a scale and measured by weight. The recipe has both, but for baking, I always prefer weight to volume.

I also weighed out the chocolate chips. I went with semi-sweet, mini chocolate chips. I thought it would be better for the waffle stick maker. The recipe doesn't specify, you could use regular sized chocolate chips but I recommend the mini.

Next, beat your eggs, then stir in the melted (and cooled) butter, vanilla extract and buttermilk.

I didn't have any buttermilk so I added 2 tablespoons white vinegar to a measuring cup and added whole milk to the 2 cup mark; let it sit 5 minutes at room temp; gave it a stir and added it to the egg mixture. It worked just fine.

Now stir the wet and dry ingredients together until combined.

Then stir in the chocolate chips and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Now you're ready to get cooking.

Follow your waffle makers instructions for preheating and oiling.

When the waffle iron is preheated, fill each well until almost overflowing. Then clamp the lid down and cook for about 5 minutes. 

Note: With the Waffle Stick Maker the "ready" light comes on before 5 minutes but that didn't seem to be long enough for this waffle recipe. It's usually right on for the Trader Joe's recipe but for this recipe, I ignored the "ready" light and set a timer. You'll have to figure out what works with your appliance.

After 5 minutes, gently remove the waffles and load up the next batch. These didn't rise up all the way into the top wells but they still came out great. Crispy outside, tender inside and super chocolaty.

And it made a ton of waffle sticks. Plenty for two mornings. We froze the leftovers from Saturday and then used the toaster to crisp them up on Sunday. Worked like a dream.

 I will make this again. I liked that they were really chocolaty but not really sweet. Next time I probably make some raspberry or strawberry sauce/syrup and whip up some lightly sweetened heavy cream. Breakfast or Dessert? Does it matter? Just grab the recipe and make some: Chocolate Waffle.