Brownie Waffles

A few years ago, I wrote an article for the Portland Press Herald about how my cooking style has had to adjust to my super tiny apartment kitchen. Things that I've had to banish: shelves of cookbooks, stacks of mixing bowls, and unnecessary appliances. I think I'm proud to say that I've managed to sustain my kitchen space diet for almost four years now. It's a testament to what we will sacrifice for affordable rent on the Hill! 

But then, this past Christmas, my brothers-in-law gifted me a ridiculously large credit at LeRoux Kitchen, and I broke.

Among the beautiful things I bought to clutter up my tiny kitchen was a waffle iron. The night I brought it home, we had waffles for dinner - a recipe that I had been dreaming about since my Swedish brother-in-law made them for us 15 years ago. 

January was a blur of gridiron pressed food: savory cornmeal waffles with smoked salmon and dill; waffled french toast and homefries; potato latkes and stuffing. 

But so far, the best things I've made in the waffle iron (other than, you know, regular waffles), are these waffle brownies. 

Among the many pros of making brownies in your waffle iron:

• brownies in 5 minutes
• you eat one brownie, instead of an entire pan of brownies
• Brownie Bar! Perfect for the next sleepover. Each kid gets to choose whatever mix-ins they want to add to their own personal brownie (nuts, coconut, bananas, chocolate chips, etc). 
• Lots of crispy edges and craggy bits

You can use any brownie recipe you like. For those pictured here, I used the Ragged Coast Chocolates  Drinking Chocolate brownie recipe. I threw in some chopped banana (which sizzled into gooey banana caramel as it cooked), and topped the brownie with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and toasted coconut. WHAAAAT?! I know. Ridiculous. 

Here are a couple of tips for successfully waffle-ing your brownie batter:

• If possible, set your iron on medium low heat. When the iron beeps (or whatever it does to tell you your waffle is done), lift the cover off, and let the brownie cook for up to another minute on the bottom. This will make removing the hot brownie from the iron a little easier. 
• Cut the brownie into four sections and lift out each section very gently using two spoons.

Let me know how it goes! Tell me what you put in/on your waffle brownies. I'd love to know for my next waffle brownie sesh!

Happy chocolating!