We are a big fan of whole grains in our house. For the last several years, I have been cooking pretty much exclusively with whole grains, with great results. And while I firmly believe in their healthfulness, and try to branch out to grains like brown rice, millet, and barley, every once in a while it occurs to me that my family’s diet contains a whole lot of wheat. A normal day could easily consist of whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, sandwiches on whole wheat bread for lunch, and whole wheat pasta for dinner. That’s a lot of wheat!
On the flip side, one category I think we could be eating more of is nuts, which are full of healthy fats, fiber, antioxidants, and other important nutrients. I’m not a huge fan of nuts straight, but I really enjoy them as an ingredient in recipes such as pesto, granola, and fudgy snack balls. I’ve experimented with many other grain-free recipes that use nuts as a base, but I have been disappointed in most. So when one of my favorite and most trusted blogs, Red, Round or Green, posted a recipe for nut-based waffles, I had to give it a try!
I have to say, despite my faith in RRG, my expectations for these waffles were fairly low given my past experiments. So when I tasted the first one that came out, I was completely blown away. Not only were they not a flop, they were delicious! I will say that they are different than my whole grain waffles, which are light as air. These nutty waffles are pretty dense, but I loved the flavor and texture. I also loved how satisfied I felt after eating only one – the nuts and eggs make these particularly hardy!
The only change I made to the original recipe was to cut the amount of sugar in half – I felt they were a little sweet, especially since my kids will want to dip them in something sweet no matter what they taste like, so I thought it was better to leave some flexibility! My favorite way to have these is dipped in some yogurt sweetened with maple syrup, but berries, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or, of course, pure maple syrup would all be delicious.
PS – while this is clearly not the right recipe for those with nut or egg allergies, these waffles are a great option for those who avoid grains, gluten, or dairy, and even those who avoid leavened grains during Passover. Enjoy!
In case you were wondering, no, the berries are not dipped in sugar – since I’m posting this in March, frozen berries was the best I could do!
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Maple Cinnamon Waffles
adapted from Red, Round, or Green
2 cups whole cashews or pecans (I have only used cashews, but original recipe calls for pecans)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
Grind the nuts to a fine meal using a food processor or blender (I prefer the food processor, but the blender works as well!)
In a stand mixer or sturdy bowl using a hand mixer beat the eggs until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Beat at medium-high speed until the egg mixture has increased in volume and is light and foamy, about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the ground nuts, mixing briefly on low speed just until fully incorporated. Slowly add coconut oil (or butter), again mixing on low speed just until combined.
Add batter to waffle iron and cook according to the instructions for your iron. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge or freezer and reheated in the toaster.
Makes 5-6 waffles using 1/2 cup batter per waffle
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The Simply Wholesome Kitchen 