Toasted Coconut Waffles

Ummm. YUM! Howdy y'all. I'm finally back on the blogosphere. If it feels like I went MIA for a bit there, well, it's because I did. I'm excited to announce that after much drama, we closed on the purchase of our first real home (on the date of my last post, actually) and then not 12 hours later launched into a major remodel that sucked away every spare second of the past 2 months. Needless to say, we hardly had time to eat or cook let alone photograph our food and write about the recipes. It's so good to finally be home sweet home and back on the cooking band wagon (sort of). 

I have a bit of an obsession with coconut apparently, particularly when it comes to breakfast time. We have been eating a LOT (like really a lot) of cold cereal lately and, though I am so darn tired of it, I seem to have lost my breakfast mojo and so I poor another bowl. I used to be a morning person but lately I'm lucky if I can drag myself out of bed before the troops have helped themselves to their own breakfast. Seriously. The other day my 14 month old came toddling around the corner chowing down on 2 pieces of dry bread. Poor kid. Not a mother in sight to feed him. ANYWAY, yesterday I made an intentional effort to kick my breakfast slump in the patootie and jumped on my good friend Google in search of something yummy.

I had a hankering for waffles and one thing led to another and pretty soon I was pulling these pretty puppies off the iron. (By the way, is it gross that I posted a picture with char and crumbs all over my plate? Too bad!) Well, these were by far the best breakfast I had in a long time which I suppose isn't saying a ton about my little breakfast confession, but seriously - so good! The melted coconut oil added a second dimension of coconut flavor alongside the toasted coconut. As it just so happened, I had some leftover pineapple in the fridge which I would highly recommend as an accompaniment. Bon Appetit!

Toasted Coconut Waffles

(adapted a smidge to make them healthier from Bon Appetit Magazine)

1½ cups shredded coconut

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup milk

⅔ cup virgin coconut oil, melted

¼ cup sugar

Nonstick cooking oil spray

Unsalted butter and pure maple syrup (for serving)

Preheat oven to 400°. Toast coconut on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown,

about 2 minutes. Let cool. 

Whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, milk, oil, and sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk mixture into

dry ingredients (do not overmix). Mix in ¾ cup coconut; set aside remaining coconut.

Heat a waffle iron until very hot. Coat with nonstick spray. Working in batches, cook waffles until golden brown. Serve topped with butter, syrup, and reserved coconut.

Serves 4