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Chestnut Flour Waffles with Vanilla Cranberry Compote

Nutty and malty chestnut flour waffles with a hint of cardamom and a vanilla cranberry compote make a delicious winter inspired breakfast.

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.

Chestnut flour is a hearty, nutty and malty gluten-free flour perfect for winter baking.
Chestnut flour waffles make a delicious winter breakfast paired with vanilla cranberry compote.

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.

The nutty, earthy tones of these chestnut flour waffles pairs beautifully with the bright and tart cranberry compote.

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.

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!

Gluten-free, grain free and paleo, these chestnut flour waffles make a delicious and cozy start to any winter day.

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

Chestnut Flour Waffles with Vanilla Cranberry Compote

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Nutty and malty chestnut flour waffles with a hint of cardamom and a vanilla cranberry compote make a delicious winter inspired breakfast.

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:

  1. Preheat waffle maker.
  2. Sift the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom together in a medium bowl.
  3. Whisk together the milk, egg yolk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
  4. Beat the egg whites using a hand-held mixer until stiff in a separate small bowl.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth and well combined.
  6. Fold in the egg whites until just incorporated.
  7. Pour batter into waffle maker and cook until crispy.**
  8. Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with remaining batter.

Vanilla Cranberry Compote:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pot over medium heat.
  2. 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.
  3. Remove from heat and let cool.
  4. Compote can be made in advance and kept in a storage container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*You can substitute a gluten-free baking blend or all-purpose flour for the paleo baking flour.

**This will vary for each waffle maker but I like to cook mine on the highest setting and tend to leave it on for 1-2 minutes after the waffle maker beeps for an even crispier waffle.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 499mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 4g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment & rating below or share a photo on Instagram and tag @runningtothekitchen

Natalie

Monday 6th of December 2021

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.

Sara Welch

Saturday 4th of December 2021

Enjoyed these for breakfast this morning and started my day off right! Easy and delicious; my whole family loved them!

Anjali

Friday 3rd of December 2021

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!

Dannii

Friday 3rd of December 2021

I have never heard of chestnut flour before, but I really want to try this.

Andrea

Friday 3rd of December 2021

What marvelous flavors in these waffles. I can't wait to taste them.

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