Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Raspberry Waffles

I know that I do several things which my husband finds annoying.  But hey -- that's one of the best parts  of marriage, right?  Taking pleasure in doing the little things that annoy your spouse?

No?

Oh. 

Awkward.

Anyhoo.....as I was saying.....

 

 

Of course, the difference is that the things that I do, which get on Eric's nerves, are actually completely normal and soooo not annoying, while the things that he does could be and should be easily fixed.  Ladies, you know that I'm right about this.

Example:  When we are watching a T.V. show that we have DVR'd, Eric is unable to sit through the opening credits, most of which run a lengthy and time consuming 20 seconds.  He MUST fast forward through them, inevitably overshooting the beginning of the show.  This means that he must then rewind, and then fast forward, and then usually rewind again, until he reaches the exact EXACT moment when the show begins.  All of this tomfoolery usually takes at least 20 seconds.  Clearly time well spent.

 

One thing that I do, also T.V. related, is that I religiously watch every red carpet countdown for every "remind me again how great I am" celebrity awards show, all 86 of which seem to occur between January and April. I usually don't make it through the entire drawn out snooze-fests that are the actual shows, but I'll be damned if I am going to miss seeing what who Charlize Theron is wearing (not that it matters--she could wear an Astroturf kimono and still win "best dressed").  I even enjoy the weak interviews ("Are you excited to be nominated???") and the time-filling back stories about the lady who gave a pedicure to the dog from The Artist.  Scintillating T.V., you know.

Now, I don't know if Eric finds this whole fashion ritual annoying because (A) he just doesn't get it, (B) he secretly wants to see what his style icon George Clooney is wearing, but he's too macho to watch, or (C) the red carpet always coincides with a Duke basketball game or a Patriots football game, and I called dibs on the good T.V.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess "C".  Happens every time.  And rightfully so.  I think that we can all agree that fashion trumps sports.  Right, Giselle?

 

 

In order to prepare for this red-carpet marathon, I need to do what any smart marathoner does: carbo-load.  While most marathoners do this via a huge pasta dinner the night before, my marathon is in the evening, so I like to fuel up with a hearty breakfast worthy of its own gold statuette.  It should be something a bit decadent, beautifully presented and, if possible, it should be chocolate.

I hadn't tried to make chocolate waffles in the past, or chocolate pancakes for that matter, so I thought that it was time to give them a go.  If you've been reading for awhile, you know that I am a big fan of recipes that are "double" this and "triple" that, so I went ahead and made these double chocolate with both dark cocoa powder and chopped bittersweet chocolate.  My original intention was to make the waffles chocolate cherry, but we didn't have any good cherries at the grocery store, so I went with my old chocolate partner in crime: raspberries (they ended up being a great choice.)

Oh, and since these are made with whole wheat flour, they are totally healthy.  Totally.

Here are my extra tips for making these Oscar level (and so not annoying) waffles:

• If you are making a large batch of these waffles, and you want to serve them hot all at once, keep them warm in a 200F degree oven on a baking sheet.  You can wrap them in foil in the oven, but that will result in a less crisp waffle.
• You can play around with the batter by adding chopped pecans or hazelnuts, replacing the raspberries, with either fresh or dried sour cherries, or by eliminating the fruit altogether. 
• You could also try making Double Chocolate Malt Waffles by stirring some malted milk powder into the batter or by stirring in some chopped malted milk balls.
• Although these waffles are best served fresh, they can be frozen, stored in zip-top bags, and reheated. 

Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Raspberry Waffles

Printable Recipe

Makes 10-12 rectangular waffles

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups buttermilk

3 large eggs

4 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips

1 cup halved fresh raspberries

Confectioner's sugar, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or pure maple syrup for serving

Preheat a waffle iron  and spray it with nonstick baking spray.  In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.  Stir in the chopped chocolate and the fresh raspberries.

Pour or spoon the batter into the center of each waffle mold, spreading it out a bit with the back of a spoon so that it is evenly distributed.  Close the lid and cook until the waffle is browned and crispy (times will vary based on the model), and you can easily lift the waffle from the iron with a fork.

Serve hot topped with confectioner's sugar, warm maple syrup, or lightly sweetened whipped cream (or all three!)

 

Comments

[Julie Hession]

Thank you, Jen!  I hope that these work out for you.  Since they are already dark in color, I needed to test the crispness the last few minutes of cooking.  Thats funny about your husband :)

[Jen's Favorite Cookies]

I've had trouble finding a chocolate waffle recipe that doesn't turn out kind of limp. I want something crispy, something that will stand up to syrup! This looks like it might do the trick.

PS, My tv pet peeve: My husband constantly forgets that we are watching the DVR recording, and doesn't skip the commercials. Then he gets annoyed when I remind him! As if!!

[Julie Hession]

Thanks, Emily!!  What is it with these Eric guys????  Sheesh!  :)

[Emily]

These chocolate waffles look great! I'd eat them for breakfast or dessert.

My Eric flips through channels at the speed of light! I can never see what's on!

Oscars are tonight! Eeee! Is the red carpet show on yet??

[Julie Hession]

Thank you, Katrina!  And your comments always make me smile :)  Have a great weekend!

[Katrina]

I SO love your posts. You are too funny and SO right--about husbands and tv and award shows and all of it. I'm right there with you. And I really want a double chocolate waffle now.