Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles

There's something you will learn about me very quickly. I love pancakes and waffles for breakfast, and I'm pretty sure I have passed my breakfast sweet tooth down to Hudson. The other morning, Hudson woke up and decided that he wanted to make pancakes all on his own (that four-year-old independence is at an all-time high right now). It was such a great success that he decided to try waffles the next morning. Guys, these waffles were better than any waffles I have ever made - and I've made a lot of them! You would never guess that these are free of all top eight major food allergens, but I promise all of your dairy, egg, and wheat-eating friends and family will never know it is free of all of that. Trust me - I tried it out on my own family. The best part about these waffles is they are made entirely in the blender. You just throw all of your ingredients in the blender and blend it up! It couldn't be any easier! The key with these waffles is to let the batter sit for five minutes after it blends. This allows the chia seeds to gel up a little and thicken the batter (think chia pudding). This recipe will make 3 small round waffles so I double it to feed the whole family and throw the extra in the freezer! Try these out for your next brunch, or just another weekday like us, and let me know what you think!

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yields: 3 7" waffles

INGREDIENTS

1 cup oat flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups oat milk

1 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp avocado oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

avocado oil cooking spray (for spraying waffle iron plates)

Preheat waffle iron.

1. Starting with the wet ingredients, add everything to the blender, except for the chocolate chips and avocado oil cooking spray. Blend on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until the batter is smooth.

2. Add chocolate chips to the blender and stir to combine to leave them whole in the batter. Let batter sit for 5 minutes to thicken.

3. Spray waffle plates with avocado oil (or any other neutral vegetable oil cooking spray) to prevent the waffle from sticking. Use scoop or pour batter directly out of blender onto waffle iron according to waffle iron manual.

4. Serve hot with agave or maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruit, or any other desired topping!

Recipe Notes:

1. You can substitute the oat milk with any other plant-based milk or even cow's milk if there are no allergies.

2. Flaxseed can be used instead of chia, but it will not thicken the batter as much as the chia will, so I would lower the amount of milk in the recipe by 1/4-1/2 cup. Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if the batter has not thickened to desired waffle batter thickness after sitting for 5 minutes.

3. I have not tried this recipe with a different flour so I do not know if others will work, but if you do please let me know the results!

4. You can double the recipe to feed the family or freeze the extra by putting parchment paper in between the waffles. Reheat in the microwave or in the toaster until warmed through.