chocolate and coconut buckwheat waffles {gluten free}

After an initial burst of enthusiasm, our waffle iron has been languishing in a cupboard for a while.  A disappointing batch of overnight waffles caused some damage to our relationship and my affections were won by some slightly less indulgent breakfast options.

But the last couple of weekends have seen us hopping back on the waffle train and, after a bit of time and space, I’m very pleased to be on-board again. 

Some people may consider these rich and dark chocolate waffles a bit too much first thing in the morning (indeed, I think my boyfriend would be one of those people).  These tend to be more of a brunch/lunch type affair for us and, if there are leftovers, I’ll often keep them and re-purpose them as a dessert in the evening, warmed through in the oven and served with a scoop of ice cream.

They’re not too terrible for you though, especially if you go light on the maple syrup/whatever else you like to throw on top of waffles.  Sometimes gluten free flours can be a bit of a nutritional wasteland so I always feel a bit happier about using buckwheat flour which does at least contain some vitamins and minerals.  They’re dairy free too if that’s you’re kind of thing (more from a desire for maximum coconuttiness than anything else if I’m being honest) and only contain a couple of tablespoons of sugar.  I even, shock horror, omitted the chocolate chips that the original recipe called for because they seemed a bit excessive and they make such a mess of my waffle iron.

All of which is basically just me trying to justify the fact that I would happily eat these for breakfast however early in the day it is and I’ve done so on more than one occasion.

chocolate and coconut buckwheat waffles {gluten free}

Yield: Serves 2

This yields the perfect amount of batter for two largeish waffles in my machine - the original recipe serves six and I've also made an in-between amount to serve four. The coconut isn't particularly strong here; a background note more than anything else. I've tried it with chocolate chips, as per Bon Appetit, and I prefer without, not least because I often find that the little bits of chocolate end up getting burnt and bitter.

Ingredients

• 85g (2/3 cup) buckwheat flour
• 20g (2 2/3 tablespoons) cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 160ml (2/3 cup) coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your waffle maker as per the manufacturer's guidelines and turn the oven on low.
2. In a large bowl, lightly whisk together your buckwheat flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, coffee (if using) and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut oil, egg and vanilla. Gently whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients carefully until the streaks of flour have just disappeared - you should have a fairly thick and gloopy batter.
3. Ladle the waffle batter into your waffle iron and cook through (in my waffle maker, they take a couple of minutes each side). Transfer to the oven to keep warm until you're ready to serve.

Notes

Adapted from these Bon Appetit dark chocolate waffles.

3.1

http://londonbakes.com/2014/03/chocolate-and-coconut-buckwheat-waffles-gluten-free.html