Low Carb Chocolate Hazelnut Waffles. A hearty gluten-free breakfast to start your day right.
I don’t normally tell you much about my vacations because I don’t think you come here for that. You want recipes and I don’t blame you! However, I’d love it if you humoured me this time. I promise there is a recipe at the end and if you really want to, you can skip straight to it. It’s just that we had such a lovely getaway and I can’t help but want to share a little bit about it. More to the point, I want to share some of my photos. For once, I took my big camera, the one usually reserved for food photography, and I am glad I did. I’ve become quite a good food photographer, but food stays still and doesn’t talk back or walk away or make funny faces at you. Kids…well, they’re not nearly so easy to work with! I’ve been working on my non-food photography skills and I came home with some great pictures. And what are pictures for if not to share?
Celia and Grandad
If you don’t know Muskoka, you’re missing out. It’s the ultimate cottaging experience. The part of Ontario near Georgian Bay is so riddled with lakes big and small, the map looks like a piece of Swiss cheese. The shoreline tends to be rocky, and the lakes are deep and dark. The mist hangs over the water at sunrise, and the loons cry out at dusk in that lonely, achingly beautiful way. Sitting on a dock at sunset with a drink in your hand and your family members close by makes you feel that all is well with the world. It’s one of my favourite places in the world.
Sunrise over Lake Joseph
From the dock
Wild Blackberries
This year, the weather was cooler than normal, only hitting about 19 or 20 degrees most days (that’s high-60’s for you Americans). Although that made the water a little less inviting, I found I really enjoyed the coolness. I went for long runs and it felt so comfortable. And it didn’t keep my intrepid little swimmers out of the water, after they lay on the dock to soak up some sun. We really didn’t do much other than swim, boat, play and hang out on the dock. And pick the wild blackberries we found growing on the property. In the evenings, we ate, drank and made merry, and played multiple rounds of Scrabble and Bananagrams.
Playing…
Boating…
Making Merry
It was the most relaxing vacation I’ve had in a long time. I think it helps immensely that my kids are getting older and able to go with the flow and entertain themselves. They had a ball just splashing around and making up games in the water. And getting plenty of attention from their grandparents, aunt and uncles. It was somewhat tougher for my sister and brother in law, since their youngest is only 1. I vividly remember those times, having to chase around a little one or a toddler, having to be vigilant of an un-baby-proofed house. But we got to celebrate my sweet nephew’s first birthday on-site, and I’d say a good time was had by all.
The Girls
The Boys
Now, to the recipe. These waffles are a great healthy start to any breakfast, and my kids loved them in slices to dip into their syrup. I originally made them just as chocolate waffles but thought that they’d be even better with the addition of hazelnut. To really get that hazelnut flavour, you need the extract and the oil, but skip them if they are too hard to find and just enjoy chocolate waffles. Either way, they are delicious.
I also have a very good, very deep Calphalon waffle maker, a 40th birthday present from my husband. It’s so non-stick, I don’t need any oil. And it’s so deep that this recipe only makes 6 very thick squares. If you have a standard iron, you may get 8 to 10 waffles out of the batter. And you may need to grease your iron before adding the batter.
Chocolate Hazelnut Protein Waffles – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup Hazelnut meal
- ½ cup Chocolate protein powder
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Sweetener or granulated erythritol
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoon hazelnut oil
- ½ teaspoon hazelnut extract
- ¼ teaspoon stevia extract
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron to medium high. Preheat oven to 200F and place a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, whisk together hazelnut meal, protein powder, cocoa powder, coconut flour and sweetener.
- Whisk in eggs, yogurt, hazelnut oil, hazelnut extract and stevia until well combined.
- Grease waffle iron if necessary and pour ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter into each section of the iron.
- Close the lid and cook until browned and crisp. Gently remove and transfer to prepared baking sheet in oven to keep warn
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- Top with whipped cream, butter, berries, chopped hazelnuts, sugar-free syrup, whatever you desire.
Notes
Deborah says
Hey
Do you taste coconut in the recipe? Can I omit it or sub it with almond flour or oat flour? Is hazelnut extract necessary? Same for hazelnut oil?
Also can i use 8 egg whites instead of 4 full eggs?
Can i replace thé greek yogurt with hazelnut milk or almond yogurt?
Thanks
Carolyn says
You’re basically asking to create a whole new recipe so I can’t really help. I tested the recipe with these ingredients.
Meg says
If I omit the hazelnut do I still need to have the hazelnut meal to get the right texture? If I don’t use the hazelnut, any idea how it changes the nutrition information?
Carolyn says
Yes, you need the hazelnut meal or some sort of nut meal.
Helena says
Yum. Can’t wait to try these waffles. Chocolate hazelnut is my favorite flavor. And I love your photos. Those family photos are really special, you did a great job.
Edwina | Kitchen Appliances says
Beautiful photos. My children would love these waffles for breakfast. They look so delicious. I’m not sure that I will ever be able to make my waffles look as perfect as yours but at least they should taste good!
Ben says
i came for a recipe, not pictures of your kids
Carolyn says
Well aren’t you lucky, then, because you get both! 🙂
Giselle says
Is there a substitute for the Greek yogurt? Possibly using coconut cream? These look so delicious.
Carolyn says
That’s certainly worth a try!
Cameron Hooper says
Hello,
I included your recipe in a list of 33 different healthy breakfast recipes. I hope you don’t mind the link back to your website :). If you are not ok with it, just let me know and I will take it down: http://hbhcoaching.com/33-healthy-breakfast-ideas-to-kickstart-your-day/
Be well & Be Happy,
Cameron Hooper
Jennifer says
Hi Carolyn! I finally finished up the post and filled in the pictures! Check it out whenever you’d like 🙂
Ellie says
Hi there
I realize it would add some calories and such but is there a way to get away with not buying those 2 special sweeteners? I have access to the grocery store sweeteners, but a tight budget.
Thanks!
Carolyn says
What sweetener would you prefer to use?
Susan Hayes says
Carolyn,
Made these for supper last night – delicious, filling and my glucose reading this AM was beautiful to behold. Being new to this low carb ingredient baking I do have a question. The batter was quite thick. I use extra large eggs and even added about a Tbl of almond milk but still the batter seemed very thick and I barely got 4 waffles from the recipe. I double checked myself and didn’t leave anything out (’cause that happens!), I’m thinking it might be the type go chocolate whey I used (MRM brand -we live in a small town, not a lot of choice), Would you recommend thinning the batter with more almond milk, a little more oil, another egg or doing something else to get those waffles a bit lighter and fluffier?
I can and do experiment but if your greater experience offers a sure fire fix I will gratefully accept it. Thanks!
Susan Hayes says
Carolyn,
Made these for supper last night – delicious, filling and my glucose reading this AM was beautiful to behold. Being new to this low carb ingredient baking I do have a question. The batter was quite thick. I use extra large eggs and even added about a Tbl of almond milk but still the batter seemed very thick and I barely got 4 waffles from the recipe. I double checked myself and didn’t leave anything out (’cause that happens!), I’m thinking it might be the type go chocolate whey I used (MRM brand -we live in a small town, not a lot of choice), Would you recommend thinning the batter with more almond milk, a little more oil, another egg or doing something else to get those waffles a bit lighter and fluffier?
I can and do experiment but if your greater experience offers a sure fire fix I will gratefully accept it. Thanks!
Carolyn says
I think you might be right, the brand of protein could make a big difference. They may have some sort of thickener in theirs. Not sure…but yes, I think you could thin it out with more almond milk and maybe a bit more oil. My guess is that it will still hold together well, even without an egg. The protein makes it rise well anyway.
Donna says
STUNNING photography…your portraiture is absolutely “top”….
Celia is equally stunning …simply love that choice of name for and wish I would have thought of it at the time of naming the babes!…My husband thought of Cecelia…but I actually like “Celia” more!…I hope to find that very deep cavity waffler in Europe…do you think it might be available in France? Here, the waffle irons are generally much shallower.
Thank you for this winner on all fronts…nutritious, delicious with major eye/texture appeal! This is a must attempt brunch item…coming soon to our very table!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Donna. No idea whether you can get the deep waffle iron in France. Here, they typically call it a Belgian Waffle maker.