Chocolate gingerbread waffles

Waffles have become a staple in the Unbakery cafés for our weekend breakfast crowds – this is a chocolate version of my favourite gingerbread waffle recipe. They smell amazing when they are cooking, and taste great fresh from the waffle iron simply on their own – like a chocolatey Dutch biscuit. You can keep a batch of mixture in the fridge and then make a quick waffle for breakfast or to take out the door. They are healthier than most muffins, and definitely healthier than pop tarts! These waffles are healthy breakfast decadence on a plate when served with simple toppings like fresh fruit and coconut yogurt. Take it up a notch with coconut ice cream and chocolate sauce for that special breakfast occasion. If you don’t have chocolate sauce already made, you can do that while the waffle batter is sitting. Grilled bananas are nice with these waffles, too.

Make time: 20 mins
Sitting time: 10 mins
Serves: 6–8
Equipment required: waffle iron

Wet ingredients

• 1½ cups almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Dry ingredients

• 2 cups buckwheat flour
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 2 pinches of sea salt

Serving options

• maple syrup
• fresh berries
• coconut yoghurt or coconut ice cream of your choice
• chocolate sauce 

Method

1. Whisk all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Sieve all the dry ingredients into another large bowl, then gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until combined, being careful not to over-mix. Let this batter sit for a minimum of 10 minutes before using.
3. Heat up the waffle iron and follow the manufacturer’s instructions – opt for a medium temperature, as this increases the cooking time to ensure that the nutrient-dense buckwheat flour is completely cooked through. Like any pancake or waffle recipe, you may need to add more almond milk as you go to maintain the right consistency, as the liquid is absorbed as it sits. 
4. Serve with maple syrup, fresh berries and coconut yoghurt, or coconut ice cream with chocolate sauce if you’re feeling like a really decadent treat.

Extracted from Little Bird Goodness, by Megan May (Penguin NZ RRP$60). Photography by Lottie Hedley.