Chocolate Hazelnut Waffles

Waffles are great, aren't they? You can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert depending on your fave toppings and what you plan on pairing them with. 

Another great thing about waffles is you can make a wide variety of healthy alternatives without compromising on flavour.

Our Chocolate Hazelnut Waffle Recipe is to die for! Not only is it completely vegan, but it's also gluten-free! 

Ingredients:

• 140g Buckwheat Flour
• 1 Tbsp Hazelnut Barrista Shot 
• 1 Tbsp Psyllium Fibre
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 250ml Almond Milk 
• 25ml Chocolate Hazelnut Syrup
• 30g Chopped Hazelnuts as Decoration 

Method:

Step 1: Preheat your waffle iron (If you don't own one, don't worry - using a grill pan actually works in exactly the same way!)

Step 2: Begin mixing your waffle mixture taking the flour ( we used buckwheat but you can use hazelnut flour if desired), psyllium fibre and baking powder and combining with your alternative milk (again, we used almond, but you can also use coconut or oat - however, it's important to check whether you're oat milk is gluten-free) 

Step 3: Grease your waffle iron with coconut oil or 1kcal oil spray and pour your batter into waffle iron. 

Step 4: Cook waffles for 3-5 minutes depending on the desired outcome (crispy or soft) 

Step 5: Decorate your waffles - today we've chosen to decorate with our chocolate drops of chocolate hazelnut syrup - it's a completely vegan alternative to chocolate syrup and works brilliantly on the waffles as its consistency is almost like a traditional Canadian maple syrup

Step 6: Top with finely chopped hazelnuts, we don't pour the hazelnuts into the chocolate

How to make waffles without a waffle maker?

Waffle makers are one of those kitchen appliances that I always had trouble deciding whether or not to buy. They're fun, but they take up loads of cupboard or storage space for something I may only use once every month (maybe even longer!) and let's not even talk about the cleaning process! Yuck!

However, a waffle iron is the absolute easiest way to make your waffles, so it is really dependent on whether or not you believe you'll get your use from it. 

If you've opted to forgo the waffle maker and make do without, you may be standing in a bit of a panic wondering how you're going to cook all this waffle batter without the right equipment. 

But did you know, you can actually cook waffles using a griddle pan? Due to the texture of the pan, it provides the waffles with grooves such as the waffle maker and allows them to puff up and create the iconic waffle texture we all know, and love. 

Chocolate Waffles

Easily one of our biggest guilty pleasures here at Skinny Food Co HQ is using melted chocolate with our low-cal waffle recipes.  We love dipping our Belgian Waffles into some rich chocolate sauce. 

Chocolate lovers, listen up! We have a whole new range of Chocaholic Chocolate Sauces available, and they are 100% designed for your favourite dessert recipes, whether that's these chocolate-style waffles, pancake stacks or even oven bakes. 

Here are our brand-new & exciting Chocolate Syrups: 

• Chocaholic Drops Syrups 
• Chocolate Mint Syrup
• Chocolate Caramel Syrup
• Chocaholic Chocolate Peanut Syrup
• Chocolate Coconut Syrup 
• Chocolate Hazelnut Syrup
• Chocolate Malt Balls
• Chocolate Orange Syrup
• Chocolate Honeycomb Syrup
• Turkish Delight Syrup

The Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce

Much like all of our classic Chocolate syrups & sauces are guilt-free, this means our chocolate hazelnut syrup is complete:

• Gluten-Free
• Fat-Free
• Zero Calories
• Vegan Friendly
• Sugar-Free
• No Added Sugar

What's the Difference Between Belgian and American Waffles?

Belgian waffles are traditionally served plain, while American waffles tend to be dipped into maple syrup or dusted with powdered sugar. Some people argue that American waffles taste better, while others believe that Belgian waffles are superior.

The truth is it's all down to personal preference, if you prefer a simple waffle with some sugar and a pinch of salt and a drizzle of your favourite nut butter, syrup or sauce then it's definitely Belgian Waffles! They're lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar/coconut sugar.

If however, you love toppings when it comes to waffles, then fluffy American waffles are definitely the best go-to -packed with vanilla extract and topped with classic ground hazelnuts, we love this traditional batter. 

American waffles can also be paired quite well with savoury toppings, particularly with chicken, bacon or even eggs. 

What's the difference between waffle batter and pancake batter?

Pancake batter is thicker than waffle batter, which makes sense because pancakes need to hold their shape whilst cooking. 

The waffle batter is thinner, making it easier to pour out onto the hot surface of the waffle iron. It will spread more easily too, meaning there’s less chance of overloading the waffle iron. 

What are the best waffle toppings? 

We've got loads of great ideas on what to serve with your waffles, but here are just a few of our favourites:

• Chocolate Hazelnut Syrup or Chocolate Hazelnut Spread  ( Our Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is also available as a Vegan Chocolate Spread)
• Maple syrup
• Vegan Honey
• Butter
• Cinnamon Syrup
• Vanilla Syrup
• Caramelised bananas
• Whipped cream
• Fresh fruit
• Fruit compote
• Skinny Jam
• Bacon
• Chicken
• Smoked salmon