ambrosia: Chocolate Waffles

Waffles, again! I know, I know, this is the third waffle recipe I'm posting on the blog, and the fact that there's only been two pancake recipes and absolutely zero recipes for French toast (whattt...???) might suggest that I am a bit of a waffle fanatic. This is, by the way, a totally true statement. I've brought you guys classic Belgian waffles and spiced brown butter waffles, and now, I'm presenting to you what I think is the most special waffle so far. It's indulgent, delicious, and super special. I mean, how good does a chocolate waffle drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped off with fresh berries sound? It sounds pretty good to me!

I know I've mentioned before that I used to eat frozen waffles every single day before school for YEARS. It was my favorite option for breakfast, and I liked pretty much every waffle variety that Eggo came up with. Chocolate chip and banana were my favorites, but I still loved plain waffles with good old syrup (and when I say syrup, I don't mean maple. I mean Aunt Jemima's butter-flavored syrup). My dad always worked nights, so he would be home in the mornings and would stay up long enough to get me and my sister to school, and he'd always make us breakfast. Sometimes, my dad would like to make breakfast feel just a little more special by placing my waffles on a big plate, pouring over a really intricate drizzle of chocolate syrup, and finishing the waffles off with a dusting of powdered sugar. It might not have been the healthiest breakfast, but I loved it regardless! It seemed so fancy back then, and it always looked so pretty!

These chocolate waffles are my attempt at recreating those special breakfasts my dad used to make for me when I was little. They're obviously a couple of steps above the fancy frozen waffles my dad would make, but I think I love both versions just the same. I loved my dad's version because, well, my dad made it for me, and it always made me feel special. And these waffles...these waffles are just something else. Homemade waffles are seriously one of my favorite ways of treating myself, and this chocolate version was perfect. The waffles were fluffy and had a nice, subtle chocolate flavor to them that was just perfect.

I think that topping these waffles off with chocolate syrup, fresh berries, and powdered sugar was the perfect way to go about finishing them off, but you can certainly feel free to add whatever toppings you like best. My sister actually requested that I add a couple of chocolate chips to her waffle, so I simply sprinkled some chocolate chips over her waffle batter while it was in the iron, and the chocolate chip version turned out great! The waffles themselves aren't overly sweet, so I think that adding chocolate chips to the batter, or drizzling chocolate syrup over the top of the waffle is definitely a good way to go.

Chocolate waffles are a special and simple way to let your special someone know you love and care for them. It's a quick breakfast that's perfect for Valentine's Day- either wake up a couple minutes before your special someone and surprise them with a fancy breakfast, or spend some time in the morning cooking up a batch of waffles together (or even at night, I think this would also be a great dessert if it's topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!). However you decide to celebrate V-Day, all you need is a simple recipe to show someone you love them. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Chocolate Waffles
recipe from Food Network Magazine, March 2011

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate syrup, plus more for topping
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

confectioner's sugar and berries, for topping (optional)

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter and shortening, and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and set aside.

In a smaller bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, chocolate syrup, and vanilla extract until combined. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated. The batter may be slightly lumpy, but that's alright. Whisk in the butter mixture until combined.

Preheat your waffle iron, and spray with nonstick baking spray. Pour some of the waffle batter into the preheated waffle iron (I found that 2/3 cup of batter made for a perfectly even waffle in my waffle iron, but this amount will of course vary per waffle iron). Cook the waffles until they are crisp, according to your waffle iron's instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter. The waffles can be kept warm in a 200 degree F oven.