True confession: I was extremely skeptical when I first stumbled upon the chaffle craze. Even having tried and loved “fathead dough” (bread-alike made with mozzarella cheese), I wasn’t too sure about waffles made from cheese and egg. That’s more or less what chaffles are: fathead-ish waffles.
Waffles just weren’t on my low carb radar. I had never even owned a waffle iron. My memories of waffle irons from childhood feature an oversized, intimidating and potentially dangerous beast of a waffle press that my mom never failed to complain about cleaning after the fact. So it’s not like waffle irons struck me as a need or anything.
But for my birthday last year, I splurged just a smidge to get one of those inexpensive Dash mini waffle irons that are all the rage among real food bloggers so I could find out what the hype was all about. Picture note: Mine was heart-shaped, so that’s why my chaffles look funny. At least, that’s my story and yes, I’m sticking to it!
Friends? Chaffles are THE BEST! The basic recipe is extremely forgiving–important when you’re a lazy cook who hates to measure like me. They take on the flavor of whatever spices you add and they aren’t just good as pretend waffles. They’re a great replacement for bread of all kinds. I’ve officially joined the chaffle cult!
After some experimentation, I’ve come up with a basic chaffle formula. Feel free to tinker at will. I know I did–hello, Pizza Chaffle Casserole!
Equipment Suggestions
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1 tbsp almond flour (or coconut flour for thicker dough, optional)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
- 1 dash salt (or whatever seasonings you want)
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron until the light comes on to indicate it's hot.
- While the iron is preheating, mix up all the ingredients in a small bowl. This is your chaffle "dough."
- Spoon a blob of dough onto the middle of your waffle iron and close. Don't use too much dough or put it near the edges because it spreads out more than you'd think as it cooks.
- Wait about 3 or 4 minutes, until there isn't any more steam escaping from the iron
- Open the iron to check the chaffle. You want some browning around the edges of each waffle square. It also won't stick when it's done cooking.
- Let the chaffles cool because they get a little more crisp once they are cool.
Recipe Notes
I’ve noticed most people will suggest you have to spray your iron with cooking spray before you start. But you don’t. As long as you let your chaffles finish cooking, they don’t stick. Score another point for the lazy!
Do you do chaffles? How do you use yours?
