Waffle Brownies

So this week's recipe is a quick callback to my childhood.  My mom used to make these great chocolate... well... it's hard to say exactly what they are.  It's chewy like a brownie, but it's like a cookie and moist like a slice of cake.  And you cook them not in an oven, but in the waffle maker!

So my mom named them Waffle Brownies.  They're very easy to make and you can have the kids help from start to finish.

The glaze that she made for them is the same glaze she would pour over a bundt cake.  It's a solid, shiny frosting that congeals as it cools.  It settles into the waffle dimples to create pools of sugary goodness.  And the cocoa powder shines through the sugar to make it rich and flavorful.

Any type of waffle iron will work. I prefer the standard waffle iron because the glaze is spread more evenly, but a Belgium Waffle maker works well, too.

Waffle Brownies

Batter
1 stick butter
7 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter and pour into a mixing bowl.  Add the cocoa powder, sugar and eggs and beat for 2 minutes.  Slowly add the flour, salt and vanilla and mix until well combined. 

Plug in your waffle iron.  Once it's fully heated, spray the waffle iron with non-stick spray.  Add the batter to the iron.  You can either make small brownies with a tablespoon of batter, or 3 or 4 tablespoons to fill an entire section.  Close the lid, cook for 1 1/2 minutes, then check for doneness.  If needed, cook for 1 more minute.  Remove to a cooling rack and repeat until the batter is gone.

Frosting/Glaze
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp corn syrup
3 tbsp water
2 cups powdered sugar

Add the cocoa powder, oil,water and corn syrup to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.  The mixture should be a little shiny.  Remove from heat and add the sugar.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  If it's too thick, add a little more water.  Too thin?  Add a little more powdered sugar. Spoon some glaze onto each cookie and spread with the back of the spoon.

For a colored glaze for a holiday like Halloween, remove the cocoa, replace with the same amount of powdered sugar and enough food coloring to obtain the proper shade.

You can also add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract for a Mint frosting (this works with the chocolate version, or the colored version, especially in Christmas colors)

So make some desserts with the kids with the waffle iron.