Nutty and malty chestnut flour waffles with a hint of cardamom and a vanilla cranberry compote make a delicious winter inspired breakfast.
My love for chestnuts all started when I studied abroad in Spain during my junior year of college.
I talk all about it in this honey vanilla chestnut spread post from 2012 and everything I said there still holds true.
Side note – that spread would be absolutely delicious on these chestnut flour waffles if you want to go all out.
Since my time living in Spain, besides turning them into a nut butter spread, I’ve enjoyed chestnuts roasted (went through a phase where we did that at home in the oven and even acquired my great-grandmother’s chestnut roasting pan from way back) and cooked with them a handful of times in hearty meals like stews and skillet pork chops but that’s about it.
Here’s a great recipe for roasted chestnuts if you want to give those a try.
Outside of those creations, chestnut flour recipes weren’t on my radar.
I didn’t really even know chestnut flour was a thing until Brandy kindly came home from Paris with some for me a few weeks ago.
I mean, it completely makes sense that it would exist given that we now commonly use ingredients like almond and coconut flour but it’s definitely not an ingredient you see in American markets like you do in Europe.
Turns out, Europeans are quite into chestnut flour and after making these chestnut waffles, I can understand why.
Much like actual chestnuts, chestnut flour is nutty, malty and earthy.
It’s really a lovely flour to enjoy during the winter and when combined with just a hint of spice and sweetness it’s not only delicious, it’s just so perfectly seasonal you’ll want these chestnut flour waffles (or some gingerbread waffles) on your weekend breakfast plans all winter long.
A simple fruit compote pairs wonderfully with these waffles to brighten up each bite but you can even go with something simpler like strawberry simple syrup if you’d like.
I thought cranberries sounded perfect given the season. Plus, I feel like they don’t get enough love outside of Thanksgiving and I’m on a mission to change that!
And when combined with vanilla bean and a hint of cardamom, this compote complements the waffles perfectly.
You could also spread this easy cranberry ginger jam on top for another variation on a cranberry sauce to complement the waffles.
The other great thing about chestnut flour is like all nut flours, it’s gluten-free.
I heard someone call it the “bougie” paleo flour and laughed so hard at that because, well, it’s sorta true.
I chose to keep these chestnut flour waffles along those lines and used the paleo baking flour (<– linking to it so you can see what it is but buy it in stores, it’s much cheaper!) in my pantry but noted in the recipe that you can use any gluten-free baking flour blend or even all-purpose flour.
I think they’d be great with oat flour too!
That said, you’re not going to find chestnut flour easily in stores but hey, it’s 2018, this is why Amazon exists, right?
While not the brand I used, this chestnut flour looks like a great option for all your chestnut flour recipe testing.
Trust me, it’s worth the splurge!
More waffle recipes to try:
Sweet Potato Waffles
Cherry Oat Waffles
Chocolate Waffles with Peanut Butter Sauce
Lemon Vanilla Waffle French Toast
Chestnut Flour Waffles with Vanilla Cranberry Compote
Equipment
Ingredients
Chestnut Flour Waffles
- 1 cup 100g chestnut flour
- 3/4 cup 75g paleo baking flour
- 1 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 cup milk, regular or any unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 egg, separated
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, or butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Cranberry Compote
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/3 cup orange juice, or water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- seeds scraped from 1/4 whole vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
Chestnut Flour Waffles:
- Preheat waffle maker.
- Sift the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom together in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together the milk, egg yolk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
- Beat the egg whites using a hand-held mixer until stiff in a separate small bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth and well combined.
- Fold in the egg whites until just incorporated.
- Pour batter into waffle maker and cook until crispy.**
- Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with remaining batter.
Vanilla Cranberry Compote:
- Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pot over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook for 7-10 minutes, smashing cranberries with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon as they cook to create a jam like consistency.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Compote can be made in advance and kept in a storage container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I bet these waffles taste amazing. I never used chestnut flour but now you got me interested to give it a try. I’m going to make these waffles for sure.
I just so happen to have chestnut flour in my baking cabinet and was looking for a great recipe for it. This is IT! YUM!! Thanks so much for sharing this. It’s delicious!
Enjoyed these for breakfast this morning and started my day off right! Easy and delicious; my whole family loved them!
I had never heard of chestnut flour before, but I’m so glad I tried your recipe because these might be the best waffles I’ve ever had! They were soft, fluffy and had the best flavor!
I had never heard of chestnut flour before, but I’m so glad I tried your recipe because these might be the best waffles I’ve ever had! They were soft, fluffy and had the best flavor!
I have never heard of chestnut flour before, but I really want to try this.
What marvelous flavors in these waffles. I can’t wait to taste them.
Chestnut flour sounds healthy and unique. Look perfect and yummy as a Breakfast platter. Love the toppings.
I’ve never heard of chestnut flour before, but I’m intrigued and can’t wait to try it! :)
I also had no idea that chestnut flour was a thing! It sounds like it would be so yummy though. I hope I get a chance to track it down in a store and try it soon :)