Chocolate Chip and Pistachio Belgian Waffles

I’m sure many of you have Christmas morning traditions. When I was a kid, my mother would get up early and whip up a batch of “Santa pancakes” for my sister and me. She’d dress up pancakes with strawberries (for the red, Santa hat), whipped cream (for the beard), and blueberries or chocolate chips (for the eyes).  We loved our Santa pancakes- they were adorable and really delicious. 

I also remember trips to the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg, TN. I would always order the full stack of chocolate chip pancakes that were three times the size of my head and served with a pile of whipped cream and a baseball of butter. Delicious!

This year, my husband and I are starting a new tradition; chocolate chip and pistachio waffles. We fell in love with the chocolate and pistachio flavor combination during our  honeymoon trip to Istanbul. (It seemed that pistachios were everywhere and even better when paired with chocolate!) And we just received a Belgian waffle maker as a wedding present, so it’s perfect!

Ingredients: (Makes about 6 waffles)

Adapted from Emeril’s recipe for classic Belgian waffles.

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups milk

1 cup chopped pistachios

1 cup chocolate chips

non-stick cooking spray

Directions: Preheat the waffle iron.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.

Add chocolate chips and pistachios to the mix and combine.

Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray (if required) and pour enough batter in iron to just cover the waffle grid. Close and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Drench with maple syrup.

Sprinkle a few extra pistachios on top.

A delicious new tradition.

What are your family’s Christmas morning traditions?

Merry Christmas!

Other posts you may enjoy:

1. Double Chocolate Cookies with Pistachio and White Chocolate
2. Chocolate, Espresso, and Pistachio Pot de Crème
3. Chocolate Dipped Potato Chip Cookies
4. Browned Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
5. Pistachio Chai Muffins

Tagged as: belgian waffles, breakfast, chocolate chip waffles, food, holiday recipes, pistachio and chocolate chip belgian waffles, pistachio waffles, vegetarian, waffles