Saturday, May 5, 2012

Chocolate Wholewheat Waffles with Hot Fudge Sauce

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What do you give someone who sews, knits, crochets and quilts all of the gifts she gives for birthdays, baby showers, holidays big and small, year after year?  This person happens to be my sister Lisa, and in a few days she's celebrating a special birthday, so something store bought wasn't going to cut it.

One of the things I find most endearing (and surprising) about Lisa is her sweet tooth.  I've seen her reach into hidden stashes of chocolate while she thinks no one is looking.  I've known her to pull over to a roadside stand and enjoy a cone of soft-serve ice-cream (her all-time favorite).  When she told me how much she loves waffles and that she could eat them every day, I knew that this would be her kind of treat.

We certainly had our moments, both good and bad, as kids.  We were terrible to each other when confined to a car for more than a few hours.  Mom caught her trying to make me pay for her hand-me-down clothes one year.  But without fail, I got a card and a small gift from her if I stayed home sick from school.  I remember seeing her standing at my bedroom door and I always felt warmed by those glimmers of proof that I wasn't just a skinny little pest to her.  As you can see in the photos, no matter how much we fought, we were also friends, and that is what stuck into our adult years.

She deserves something decadent-- a rich chocolate waffle with some hot fudge sauce, not just for putting up with me, but for the years of rock-solid advice she's offered up for free, without asking anything in return-- unlike those old hand-me downs.

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Chocolate Wholewheat Waffles
From Kitchen Butterfly via Food 52
Serves 4 - 6

These waffles make an excellent dessert.  I would never recommend you eat this for breakfast, unless it's your birthday.  And, since my big sister is celebrating hers, this is what I propose.  I'm providing her with a jar of the home made chocolate fudge and she can use her own good judgement.  I chose the recipe because they are made with wholewheat flour, which I think adds to their richness since the whole wheat tends to lend a nutty flavor.  My only changes to the recipe were the addition of sugar and substitution of ricotta.

1 1/2 cups (200 grams) wholewheat flour
1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (400 grams) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup (25 grams) yogurt (I used ricotta)

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and baking powder into a bowl.
Make a well in the center and add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, oil and yogurt.  Mix with a balloon whisk until smooth.
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes or longer.  You can easily make the batter a day ahead and store in the refrigerator.
Spoon some batter into your hot waffle iron.  According to what type of iron you have, the amount of batter and cooking time will vary.

Hot Fudge Sauce
From Epicurious
Makes about 2 cups

Sauce can be stored for over a week in the fridge.  Reheat without burning before using.  Enjoy on waffles, ice-cream sundaes, or drizzled over fresh sliced fruit.

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces fine quality bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring cream, corn syrup, cocoa, salt and half of chocolate to a boil in a 1 to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until chocolate is melted.  Reduce heat and cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, then remove from heat.  Add butter, vanilla and remaining chocolate and stir until smooth.  Cool sauce to warm before serving.



11 comments:

  1. Yum! I love the lower photo of you and your sister, so precious, all of the sibling relationship and love is portrayed in this photo. I have always wished I had a sister!!!
    Nice recipe, these waffles sound incredible, for a b-day or not!

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    1. Thank you! We do feel lucky to have one another...

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  2. Oh my! I would definitely make these for my bday... or anyone else's bday! Unfortunately I can't get my hands on a waffle iron in Italy for love nor money... do you think this'll work as pancakes?

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    1. Hmmm, I've never tried using waffle batter for pancakes. It would be worth a try, or else just experiment with adding cacao to your pancake batter.

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  3. I suppose if you just ate the waffle and not all the sugary goodies on top, you could have this for breakfast! Looks so tasty! I would do anything for my sister - I loved hearing about yours.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Tracy! These work well with regular syrup, and luckily they taste really good with fruit. But sometimes it's fun to just indulge.

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  4. Being a younger sister I can totally relate to this post. My sister and I used to fight like cats and dogs one minute and be the best of friends the next. She couldn't stand me copying her and following her around all the time but the older we got the more she became one of my most cherished friends. I love those pictures of you two, truly beautiful (so are the waffles by the way!)

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  5. Nicole: I have a sister too... and completely relate to your story. We too fought and played and fought and played. And now what remains is a deep friendship (long distance, unfortunately, as she lives in Rome and I live in the US). And when we get together we cook and talk and cook and talk! Chocolate seems to be the glue that bonds sisters (for us too!)

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  6. Love that photo. It reminds me of my little sis and me. So...do you live near one another or are you sending her homemade chocolate waffle mix? Either way, you are a good little sis.

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    1. Denise, we met in person last Saturday half way between our homes and I gave her a jar of the hot fudge sauce. Maybe next time she stays over I will make her the chocolate waffles.

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  7. what nice gifts for your sister---waffles, and this post!
    there is always something special about waffles, whether they are the regular sort, served with butter and maple syrup, or chocolate-ricotta style, like these. (I always made waffles for my daughter's birthday breakfast.)

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