Toasted Coconut Waffles

I originally bookmarked this recipe from Bon Appetit after googling recipes to use coconut oil, but made it this weekend because I had too much milk on hand.  That happens when I shop places that don't carry quarts.  There's only so much you can put in coffee.

The recipe was pretty straightforward as written.  I wasn't going to compound my milk problem by buying buttermilk, and made these with all 2%.  That just means I omitted the baking soda and upped the baking powder by that 1/2 tsp.  I did reduce the coconut oil slightly.  That's a crazy lot of oil.  Even at 1/2 C, that's two tablespoons per waffle.  I did keep the sugar, because unsweetened coconut needs it.  Coconut flavor only pops when you add sugar.  Even how much syrup each bite absorbed seemed to make a difference.

These came off the iron all kinds of floppy, but quickly firmed as they sat.  By the time I had taken the photo and started to cut it, it was almost crispy enough.  By the time I was actually eating, it was the right texture.  Maybe the cornstarch has something to do with it.  I've never made a waffle or pancake batter with a 3:1 ratio of flour to cornstarch.  That's pretty high.

*1 C unsweetened coconut flakes
*1/2 C coconut oil
1-1/2 C flour
1/2 C cornstarch
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
*2 C milk
1/4 C sugar
pan spray for iron

1.  Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350º.  Arrange coconut in a single layer on baking sheet (or toaster broiler pan) and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.  Allow to cool.  While that's happening, melt coconut oil, either in the microwave or in a small saucepan, until just melted.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

2.  In a larger bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.  Separately, lightly beat eggs.  Add milk, sugar, and the now not-hot coconut oil to the eggs.  Pour wet into dry and stir until mostly combined.  It's ok to have lumps at this point.  Add 3/4 C of the toasted coconut and reserve the rest for garnish.

3.  Let the batter sit while the waffle iron is heating.  That ten minutes will allow any dry lumps to hydrate.  Spray hot iron with pan spray.  There's so much oil in the batter that you should only have to do this for the first one.  Pour out about 2/3 C batter onto iron, close, and cook until golden.  I got 4 waffles out of my batch, which is what the recipe suggests, but one of them was a bit thick and I had actually used less milk than they recommended.  You may get five.

4.  Serve with a toasted coconut garnish, syrup, and butter.

Difficulty rating  :)