Chocolate Waffles

Chocolate for breakfast, YUM!

I woke up this morning at 5AM not able to fall back asleep, I decided to get up and make PW's famous Cinnamon Rolls....two hours later and still no cinnamon roll progress I knew it wasn't going to happen. I needed a quick breakfast kind of morning. The hubbie mentioned waffles and I was off, I had been eyeing this chocolate waffle recipe from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook for a few weeks.

At first you might think who can eat a chocolate waffle for breakfast, or like me you might think chocolate is OK anytime of the day! Well this recipe could be used for both a dessert waffle or a breakfast waffle! It uses unsweetened cocoa and only two tablespoons of sugar, so the sweetness really comes from whatever toppings you decide to use!

Chocolate Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat waffle iron according to directions on box, I heat mine to the highest setting. In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Whisk in the sugar and salt and set aside. In a medium bowl separate 4 egg yolks and whisk together with the milk and oil. Slowly add in the milk mixture to the flour mixture, mix only till combined, set aside. In a clean, dry, medium bowl beat the 4 egg whites till soft peaks have formed. Gently fold the egg whites into the flour and milk mixture. 

Once waffle iron is preheated, pour 1/3 cup of mixture into waffle iron and cook for the time suggested by your waffle iron directions. Note that the amount of mixture may vary based on the size of you waffle iron. Serve hot waffles immediately and enjoy!

I used the typical butter and syrup toppings for breakfast, but confectioners sugar, chocolate chips, chopped fruit, whipped cream or even ice cream are all good topping ideas!

This recipe makes about 8 medium sized waffles. I keep the waffles warm by placing on a pan in the oven set to 200 degrees.

Don't forget to enter my World of Cakes cookbook giveaway until Monday, May 30th HERE!

Happy Baking!

Puerto Rican Chocolate Rum Cake and My First Giveaway!

Can you believe, it has been over a year since I started this blog and I have yet to do a giveaway?!

When I was asked if I would like to review and giveaway the new cookbook World of Cakes by non-other than Krystina Castella , you know her from the famous Booze Cakes cookbook, I was excited to accept!

My only problem was trying to decide which cake to make for y'all!

This book goes way beyond just recipes for yummy sounding cakes, Krystina shares all her knowledge of cakes from around the world and each cake recipe comes with a complete history. For those of us with a sweet tooth all year-around, she gives a list of every cake holiday throughout the year and from which country the cake or tradition originated.

In the spirit of the approaching summer and dreams of sipping a sweet rum punch on the beach, I decided to make a rum cake! And what is the only way to make a rum cake better?


Adding chocolate!

Puerto Rican Chocolate Rum Cake

Cake:
1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon Puerto Rican rum
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Rum Sauce:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup Puerto Rican rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a bundt cake pan or five individual bundt pans, set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter till creamy, then add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add in sweetened condensed milk and rum, mix till incorporated scraping sides and bottom when needed. Slowly add in flour mixture, just until blended. Add in the eggs, one at a time and mixing after each addition. Add in chocolate chunks and mix with a spatula. Pour cake batter into prepared pan/s and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour for large pan or 35 to 45 minutes for small pans. Cake is done when a toothpick entered in center of cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and begin to cool.

To prepare rum sauce, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove sugar water from stove and let cool for a few minutes. Add in rum and use immediately.


The only thing I changed from her recipe, is my secret trick to rum cakes: pouring the rum sauce over the top of the cake while it is still hot in the bundt pan. Let the rum sauce soak slowly into the cake and by the time the cake is cooled, all the rum sauce is gone! If you prefer to stick to the original recipe, once the cake has cooled remove from pan and pour the rum sauce over the cake, let it sit for at least 6 hours before you serve it.


This cake did not disappoint! It contains all the moistness that you would expect from a rum soaked cake, but also nice richness from the cocoa and added chocolate chunks.

So for those interested in getting your hands on a copy of Krystina's World of Cakes...

• leave a comment and don't forget to include your email!

To get receive additional entries you can do any of the following and leave a comment letting me know:

• follow the blog 
• follow me on twitter @squirrelbakes
• tweet about the giveaway

Deadline to enter is Monday, May 30th at 11:59pm CDT. A winner will be chosen at random and has 48 hours to respond with a US shipping address.

UPDATE: Congrats to Kelly @ KraftedbyKelly

Good Luck and Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter Truffles

These are more like peanut butter and graham cracker balls covered in chocolate, but that was a bit long for a title!

(please ignore my drier than ever hands)

I found this recipe for Homemade Peanut Butter Easter Eggs right around everyone's favorite candy holiday, they were immediately put on the top of my to-make list. I love Kristan over at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, her recipes are always tempting and her pictures only make things look better than they sound!

Peanut Butter Truffles

18 sheets of graham crackers, very finely crushed

2 cups creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
chocolate candy melts or bark
sprinkles or decorations


Line a baking sheet with wax paper, place in freezer for later use. In a large bowl, combine graham crackers, peanut butter, butter, and confectioners sugar. Mix at medium speed till all ingredients are incorporated. I ended up using my hands to get everything combined. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet back in the freezer for 45 minutes or until peanut butter balls are firm.


In a small bowl melt chocolate candy melts or bark according to package. Using a spoon cover peanut butter balls with chocolate one at a time. Tap the spoon on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate and place balls back on frozen baking sheet. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate chips, or leftover graham cracker crumbles and refrigerate till chocolate is set. Devour.

I used my food processor to crush the graham crackers. I used spring colored sprinkles, but I was thinking white chocolate coating with red, white, and blue sprinkles would be super cute for the upcoming holidays. Let me know if anyone tries this, I would love to see pictures!


Happy Baking!

Online Bake Sale

If you haven't heard through the foodie blogosphere yet, today is Becky's bake sale at Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves!

This gives you a chance to bid on getting some goodies delivered to your home from your favorite bloggers! All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society, a charity close to Becky's heart and part of her fundraising for Relay for Life.

I will be making my favorite cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip!

Good Luck!