Homemade Waffles Made With Coconut Oil

Tonight was one of those nights when there's really nothing much to eat around here (didn't help that the dog ate the left over barbeque from last night, before we had a chance to put it away!). Often that means breakfast for dinner. I decided to break out the waffle maker and made chocolate chip waffles for dinner. I know, real healthy, right? But a favorite around here, nonetheless. Usually I make them for breakfast, but I just didn't feel like grilling burgers this evening - which was about my only other option.


Since I've been on a coconut oil kick, I thought I'd try tweaking the waffle recipe from the back of the Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix. Sometimes I make waffles from scratch, but I do love Krusteaz mixes.

Basically, I just used 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for the oil, and added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and about a third of a bag of chocolate chips.

Let me digress here for a moment to say a word about chocolate chips. I never really thought too much about chocolate chips and pretty much bought whichever ones were on sale. And then my friend pointed out to me that she compared the labels of cheap chocolate chips versus premium chocolate chips (ie: Ghirardelli), and found that the premium chocolate chips have a lot fewer ingredients. One of my goals in my label-reading endeavors is to buy foods with the fewest ingredients possible, because then there is a lot less of the artificial crap that no one can pronounce. Right now I happen to have Private Selection Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, and they have 6 ingredients. And I'm telling you, they test better than the cheapies. A lot better. So I would suggest that they're worth the splurge, at lease once in awhile. They were on sale when I bought them.

I like to mix my waffle batter in my big, 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Then I can easily pour it onto the waffle iron. But before pouring in the batter for the first waffle, I spray the waffle iron with some no-stick spray. One time should do it, no need to re-spray between waffles. When the waffles are ready, I use tongs to remove them. Since I like my waffles nice and crispy, I keep them on the iron for a minute or so longer than it takes for the steaming to stop. Of course, all waffle irons are different, so you really have to experiment with your own.

Making the waffles with coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, like I would normally use, did make a difference in the taste and texture of the waffles. There was a slight coconut flavor, not strong at all, but definitely undeniable. The waffles also had more of a delicate, light crunch, and a moist, springy texture inside that reminded me a little of a popover. They were really good, and the kids approved too.

Have you substituted coconut oil for other oils in any recipes? How did it turn out? So far, I've had pretty good luck!

Interested in trying coconut oil for yourself? Be sure to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a 32 ounce jar of Tropical Traditions coconut oil! Just click HERE and fill in the Rafflecopter form! Ends 6/10/12