Chaffles with Bacon

These days, there are so many food trends thanks to social media that it is almost impossible to keep up with them all. 

I think it’s because we’re all stuck at home and have time to try them all.  It never used to be this constant, as most people were busy with real life, and food trends were just something to be amused by, on the rare, random moment.

Dalgona Coffee, Banana Breads, Sourdough bread baking, everything with beans, and now, Chaffles.  Yep, Chaffles.  Thanks to Michelle over at the Hummingbird High cooking blog, I was introduced to the latest thing to make in my waffle iron.  The chaffle.  It’s a cheesy waffle.  But better!  There’s no flour!  Apparently they’ve been around forever.  Where have I been?

Yep, this little waffle doesn’t need any flour to hold it together.  The only ingredients you need are an egg, and 1/2 cup of melty cheese.  That’s it. And when you are done, you get to pull out of your waffle iron, a little ‘grilled cheese sandwich waffle.’  It acts and looks like a waffle, but has a wonderful cheesiness that isn’t overwhelming at all.

No, it doesn’t taste eggy.  No, it doesn’t stick to your waffle iron. Yes, you can use a multiple of cheeses.  Just make sure they are the melty kind.  The best ones I recommend are Fontina, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella or Gruyere.  Mozzarella is the least flavourful, and Fontina has the most flavour. Yes, you can combine them.  Yes you can add some Cheddar or Parmesan, but don’t make them the dominant cheese.  Just an accent for flavour. 

Yes you can add in chopped chives, scallions, bacon, prosciutto, herbs etc.  If using bacon or pancetta, like I am here today, chop finely and sauté in a skillet first.  Can you imagine adding scallions and chives, and sprinkling them with sesame seeds afterwards and making a dipping sauce from tamari, rice wine or black garlic vinegar, and sesame oil?  Amazing!! I think I’ll try this next!  Or maybe add dukkah to the batter, and serve with a dipping sauce made with harissa paste.  The ideas are endless.

Yes, you can add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, harissa, curry powder, or any other seasonings that set your heart aflutter.  Wouldn’t a curry flavoured one, with a mint raita, or a tikka masala dipping sauce be great?

No, I don’t add salt to the mixture beforehand.  I find that most cheeses have just enough salt, especially if you are adding a bit of parmesan etc.  You can add the salt and pepper afterwards.

The fun part comes when they are out of the waffle iron.  A drizzle of honey or maple syrup is just amazing on these.  There is something magical that happens when the sweet sticky syrup hits the cheese. And if you wanted, a dusting of icing sugar would be fantastic.

But if you want, go totally savoury and serve them with chilli sauce or even ketchup on the side! (I’ve done this, and it’s ah-mazing!) Wouldn’t these be great as a side to tomato soup?!

The amount of dark crusty exterior you achieve depends on your waffle iron, and the heat setting you use.  I think the deeper waffle iron, like a Belgian style waffle iron, will give you more attractive char with a gooey interior.  The hotter it goes will also give you the crispy bits known as frico, the best cheese occurrence ever!  Those crispy puddles of cheese that happen at the bottom of a skillet when you are grilling a sandwich are gold!  My waffle iron just didn’t achieve this.  Now, I’m not going to go out and replace my waffle iron, but in a perfect world, I would have one that charred the surface just a bit better.  But the flavour is the main thing!

These can be reheated in a toaster oven, a toaster, or in a skillet on the stove top.  I wouldn’t use a microwave, they will just go soggy.  Once warm, they are a perfect little breakfast on the go, or snack. I’ve got a batch in the fridge for quick re-heating for just this purpose! 

You can see what half the batter makes, by checking out the photo below.  Enough for one person.  Depending on the size of your waffle iron, this will vary.

What I love about them, is the lack of flour.  Keto!!  Not that I’m on the keto diet or anything.  But consuming the amount of baked goods that we do, it’s great to have a flour-free treat.  So this means they are gluten free as well! Wow, I impress myself! 😀

*These days I’m grating a bunch of cheeses together, adding them to a bag of purchased grated Tex Mex Cheeses and having it all ready to go in the morning.  Then I add some chilli powder to the batter.  Pouring maple syrup over the baked ones is simply scrumptious!!

Enjoy the latest trend. Before it gets replaced by another one!

Love Jen

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Chaffles with Bacon

A waffle made with just an egg and some grated cheese! Go sweet or savoury as your heart desires. Bacon lardons are in these babies as well! Perfect snack or brunch addition

Course Breakfast

Keyword chaffle, cheese, egg, keto

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 rashers of bacon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated soft melting cheese, You can use mozzarella, fontina, gouda, Monterey Jack, etc. Even a bag of grated cheese for pizza or nachos would work great!
• 2-3 tsp grated parmesan you can also use some grated cheddar
• 1/8-1/4 tsp black pepper
• vegetable spray for the waffle iron
• honey or maple syrup for drizzling

Instructions

1. Cut the bacon into small 1/6-1/4 inch cubes. Sauté in a skillet over medium heat. Remove when just crispy to a paper towel lined plate. Let cool slightly while you proceed with the rest of the batter.
2. Preheat your waffle iron.
3. Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl.

4. Add the cheeses and mix well. Add the bacon lardons and pepper and stir together. I don't add salt because the cheese and bacon contain enough.

5. Spray the waffle iron. Pour half the batter into the centre and put down the lid. It will spread out to fill all the pockets of the iron. Let it cook through. I put it on a higher setting just so that the outside can crisp up. You can lift up towards the end to see if it is to your liking. Remove to a plate.
6. The second one probably won't even need any spray.
7. Serve with maple syrup or honey. You can even dust with icing sugar for a lovely brunch.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to make these savoury by add 1 to 2 tbsp of fresh chopped herbs, your favourite spices or chilli powders etc. Even a touch of curry powder would be amazing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with a chutney or dipping sauce.