Healthier oatmeal waffles made with Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese, with no butter or oil in the batter.
Did you know? Thomas Jefferson is often credited with introducing the waffle iron to America. In 1789, the future-president brought a waffle iron home with him from Paris. Apparently that sparked a new trend: ‘waffle parties’ or ‘waffle frolics’.
At these parties – or frolics, if you prefer – guests would top their waffles with sweet syrups or savory stews. While the idea of kidney stew-topped waffles doesn’t appeal to be at all, a waffle party sounds darn tempting.
So, let’s whip up some waffles, grab plenty of toppings, and frolic the day away.
While plain waffles would probably make the most sense for a waffle party, I can’t resist the slightly melted chocolatey goodness that come with chocolate chips. Everyone loves chocolate chips, right?
In between those chocolate chips we have some hearty oatmeal waffles, which are lightly spiced with cinnamon. The waffles themselves are healthier – or at least lighter – than many waffles out there, since the batter’s made without regular butter or oil. Instead, there’s good ol’ Greek-style yogurt, ricotta cheese and a tablespoon of almond butter.
These three amigos work together to assume the role of melted butter or oil. The yogurt and ricotta add moisture and a fluffy texture to the interior of the waffles, while the almond butter helps the outsides become nice and crispy.
For some reason, waffles and pancakes made with lots of oats often take longer to cook than their entirely wheat-based cousins. So, considering these waffles are made with both oat flour and rolled oats, don’t be surprised if they need more cooking time than regular waffles. My waffles took 8 – 9 minutes, but the time required will depend on your appliance and the size and shape of your waffle holes.
Once the waffles are all cooked, we get to the (even more) exciting part: the toppings! Since we’re dealing with chocolate chip waffles, I’d stick to sweet toppings, such as maple syrup, chocolate sauce, peanut butter, fruit, candies, chopped nuts… and so forth.
Although, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try a savory topping, don’t let me stop you!
Question of the Day
What is your favorite waffle (or pancake) topping?
- 2 eggs, separated
- ¼ cup (60g) Greek-style yogurt
- ¼ cup (65g) ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (25g), packed
- 1 tablespoon (15g) almond butter
- 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (240mL) milk
- ½ cup (65g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (50g) oat flour
- ½ cup (50g) rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (70g) chocolate chips
- Preheat a waffle maker on medium heat (or medium-high for crispier waffles). Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with a fork. Whisk in the yogurt, ricotta cheese, brown sugar, almond butter, blackstrap molasses and vanilla bean paste. Pour in the milk, and mix until well combined.
- Add the all purpose flour, oat flour, rolled oats, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
- In another bowl, use electric beaters to whip the egg whites into firm peaks. Fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.
- Grease the waffle maker with cooking oil spray. Pour in enough batter to cover the waffle holes, using a spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions until golden brown and lightly crisp, usually about 6 – 9 minutes.
- Place the cooked waffles in the preheated oven while cooking the remaining batter.
- Serve the waffles with a variety of toppings, such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts, ice cream and maple syrup.
Folding in egg whites is easiest if you fold in one tablespoon first, and then add the remainder of the egg whites.
Milk
Use full-fat or low-fat milk (not skim milk or almond milk).
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is also known as cornflour