This was kind of a funny recipe to test and try out. The title grabs you right away, particularly with how chocolate seems to scream off the screen at me. The word “waffles” suggests to me that other goodness will be hiding in those naughty little wells. Things like, gulp, syrup. Butter, too, if we’re lucky. To whomever invented the waffle, we know what you were up to, sir/madame! And we like it.

So…are you feeling lucky? Turns out, we were indeed!

After you’ve laid out all the ingredients for a homemade waffle batter, plus add in the things that make it a chocolate waffle batter, that’s when you realize why the bustling processed food market brought us heavenly things like Bisquick mix.

However, this is way, way better. WAY. Way way.

I know we must have used more chocolate in previous recipes, but the 6 ounces called for in this one looked like so much when I got it all chopped. By the way, that’s not a complaint! Just an observation. It’s also such a huge pile nobody really notices if you snatch a piece or two.

We used a mixture of bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate, and I’m glad we did, otherwise these might have been a little too dark chocolate. Even with the switch-a-roonie, they were still decadent dark chocolate in flavor.

The recipe calls for olive oil, which is not exactly uncommon, but it may still come as a surprise. Not to worry, though, the waffles don’t look or taste oily at all. The recipe claims it adds to the richness of the waffles - and they are indeed rich.

And finally, a recipe that uses a decent amount of the buttermilk I bought! Two whole cups go into the waffle batter, adding to the tang that dark chocolate boasts a little of as well. By George (or whoever), I might even make more of these waffles and actually use a whole carton of buttermilk before it goes bad. Dreams really do come true!

The directions will direct you to make a big ‘ole well in the middle of your dry ingredients, pour the wet ones into said well, then stir the wet ones together first. Now, as we all know, that olive oil just sat there and stuck its tongue out at us. No matter, just mix as best you can before gradually grabbing and adding in the dry ingredients as you stir around and around.

While you were stirring, you could have a countertop stand mixer going, fluffing up some egg whites for you. And then you fold them gently into the much heavier waffle batter. This is going to help, amongst other things, to give us fluffy waffles. That’s going on a t-shirt: I Like My Waffles Fluffy.

Oh hey - don’t forget to add in the chocolate! Cuz, no joke, the waffle batter tastes terrible in its current raw state. I don’t know why I expected it to taste perhaps a little sweet. But I stuck my finger in to take a quick taste and, I quote, declared the batter “disgusting”. Heeheeee! Well, we were truly in it by then, so onward we went. Add the chocolate, heat up the waffle iron and it’s go time!

Our waffle iron is 7 inches wide, and we used about 2/3 of a cup of batter per waffle. Put about half the amount you’ll need on one side, the other half of the batter on the other side and spread it out a little if necessary before closing the lid.

Mmmm, they smell really good while cooking, which was a surprise since the batter itself tasted so…bad. These only needed about two to three minutes or so to cook through, but it’s going to depend on how big your waffle iron is, how high a temperature you set the iron to, etc. If you can find your waffle iron’s pamphlet that came with it, it might give you a better clue.

To lift the waffles out, use a fork top pry them up a little and slide a pancake flipper spatula thingy under to lift it the rest of the way out.

We got about 6-8 waffles out of our batter, I can’t exactly remember which. Again, the size of your iron and how much batter works for it per waffle will determine how many you get.

In all honesty, though, these waffles were big and they are so rich that two people may be able to split one, especially if there’s some yummy bacon or eggs on the side. Or, this is chocolate we’re talking about, so maybe no one will want to share. Approach the idea with caution!

Mmm, waffles. And chocolate! Let’s get out the milk. Looks like we’re going to need it.

Don’t skimp on the butter. Definitely do not skimp on the maple syrup! These three things, the waffles, butter and syrup, are like some kind of trifecta of taste explosion. I think our expectations were lowered when the batter tasted very not so great, but the first bite of the end results was, quite literally, amazing. The waffles are soft, and then you get a koom pow kick of intense chocolate. They aren’t inherently sweet themselves, though, so the maple syrup isn’t too much with them. The butter does what it does best and kind of mellows things a little. I’ve got to go ahead and declare these as, quite possibly, the best waffles I’ve had yet. Boom.

Dark Chocolate Waffles

by Rick and Michael Mast for Bon Appétit, February 2014

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: about 2-4 minutes per waffle, depending on your iron Level: Easy Serves: 6

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cacao), finely chopped
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Unsalted butter and warm pure maple syrup (for serving)

Preheat oven to 250°. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Blend with a fork, then gradually incorporate dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Working in 2 batches, fold egg whites into batter just until combined. Fold in chocolate.

Heat a waffle iron until very hot; lightly coat with nonstick spray. Working in batches, cook waffles until cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
Serve waffles with butter and syrup.

Do ahead: Batter with egg whites can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Notes:

Store any uneaten waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They reheated very well for me about three days later in a 325 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, warm the waffles in the oven and enjoy all over again! The taste and consistency were exactly the same. I reheated mine for a yummy breakfast dinner. So. Good.

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