2019 Christmas Gifts for Cooks and Foodies

Chaffles with Blueberries… Delicious!

Have you ever heard of Chaffles? Whether you eat Keto, gluten-free, or simply love trying out fun, delicious new food trends, you’re going to love these!

First of all, what is a chaffle? The basic chaffle is simply 1 egg (beaten) with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (usually mozzarella, because it’s neutral in flavor, for a basic chaffle)… combined and cooked for 3-4 minutes in a waffle iron or chaffle maker.

Why I, Personally, am OBSESSED with Chaffles:

1. I have to eat gluten-free (health reasons) and chaffles (even when you add extra ingredients) are gluten-free. However, unlike most gluten-free waffles, breads, etc.. they don’t cost an arm and a leg. Heck they don’t even cost one limb. Shredded cheese and an egg. That’s it.
2. I have been experimenting with “Keto” recipes because I’m cutting into the number of carbs I eat. I’m not cutting them out, mind you, but I figure I can at least cut back on the number of carbs I consume. The best way I’ve found to do so is to experiment with Keto recipes. Chaffles are Keto-Friendly.
3. They are crazy fun to make and to experiment with. The options are endless. If you’re making chaffles as “waffles,” you can try a lot of different fruits and/or nuts. My favorite is blueberries but other berries are delicious as well. If you want your chaffle to serve as bread, add a little garlic powder. When I make them for pasta, I use a little extra mozzarella (makes them crispier) and add some garlic powder before cooking. I also make a melted garlic butter for dunking them in. I promise… the flavor is exactly like garlic cheese bread. Before I had to give up gluten/wheat, one of my favorite things to make was garlic cheese bread – French bread with butter, garlic, and melted mozzarella cheese. When I first took a bite of chaffles made with garlic, dipped in melted garlic butter, the flavor took me right back to the French bread. Without the large carb count OR gluten.
4. I happen to have a hiatal hernia which doesn’t normally cause problems. However, because of this guy, I need to eat frequent, smaller meals and dense food can be a problem. Gluten-free bread and certain other gluten-free food is about as dense as dense gets. Chaffles provide a softer, far less dense way to enjoy waffles, sandwiches, ‘toast,” etc.

The Original Chaffle Recipe by It’s Creator (Not Me)

The video below is the original Chaffle recipe and video from the creator of the chaffle, Kat Keto Doss (link to her YouTube Channel). Unfortunately it is not me.. I’d love to have been that clever! I felt it only fair to include the creator in an article about chaffles. Many have taken the premise and have come up with new techniques, new flavors, new creations, etc. but this is the brains behind the entire food craze.

(Continued below…)

When making chaffles, I, personally, combine the cheese and beaten egg and place it directly on the waffle iron on in the chaffle maker. Simple as simple gets. I don’t follow a strict Keto diet, either, so I never weigh my cheese – I use 1/4 cup, plus usually a tiny bit extra down on the bottom of the iron and a little extra on top of the egg mixture before I close the iron. This adds a little extra crunchiness and I just appreciate the golden brown color.

A Few Personal Tips of the Trade When Making Chaffles

• I’ve found that I prefer finely shredded cheese over the traditional shredded cheese, but I guess it’s a personal thing.
• If you like for them to have a firmer texture, allow them to sit a minute or two when you remove them from the waffle iron or chaffle maker.
• While I do have, use, and love a chaffle maker, I use my Hamilton Beach Waffle Maker more than the Dash chaffle maker. The chaffle maker is ideal for making one (or even two) chaffles if you’re cooking for one person and I use it for my own lunches throughout the week. However, if you’re using chaffles for making several sandwiches or if you’re cooking for several people, the traditional waffle maker is much faster. The waffle maker also makes them larger, obviously, so there is more chaffle to nom on! However, the chaffle maker make a super cute size for small sandwiches (extra delicious with sausage and egg).
• Chaffles EASILY replace waffles. Just be sure to use mozzarella or the taste will be way off. Basically, you don’t want your cheese to bring any flavor with it, which is why mozzarella perfect for the job. When you add a little butter and syrup, I promise you, you’ll be convinced you are eating good old fashioned waffles. It honestly just blows me away.
• I love pizza chaffles – they’re an ideal way to conquer pizza cravings. I make them as I would a normal chaffle, but add a little oregano before pouring into the iron. I always add a small amount of mozzarella to the iron as well. While the chaffle is cooking, I warm some pizza sauce (my favorite is Classico, but any will do). When the chaffle comes out of the waffle iron or chaffle maker, I add a little sauce and Parmesan. I normally top mine with sliced olives, but any toppings will do. It’s usually best if you warm the toppings up first, as well as the sauce.
• You can add a little coconut flour, gluten-free flour blend, rice flour, or almond flour to give your chaffles a more bread-like consistency. I’ve done this before when my chaffles were pulling garlic bread duty. It’s excellent also for pizza chaffles.

Whether you eat keto, lazy-keto, gluten-free, or simply want to cut unnecessary carbs, you’re going to love chaffles. I hope you’ll try them asap. You’ll be hooked!

Below is a keto, gluten-free (and delicious) way to enjoy chili dogs without bread – I made chaffles with cheddar cheese and piled the hot dogs, chili, cheese, and onions on top. It was seriously, seriously good!