Makes 2 cups

If you’ve been craving a vegan waffle topping recipe that’s a cross between fudge and chocolate cheesecake, dark and moderately sweet with a slightly fermented and savory edge, I can totally relate.

That’s exactly how I came up with this waffle spread recipe, building upon Russell James’ basic cashew nut cheese recipe from his Raw Nut Cheese Recipes ebook. You can spread it on waffles, or after it’s thickened and ripened a bit more in the fridge for a few days, slice it into bite-sized pieces and eat it alone as a dessert.

• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1 cup water (for a slightly more fermented flavor, you can also use rejuvelac as described at Sunny Raw Kitchen)
• 1 teaspoon probiotic powder*
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar**
• 2 tablespoons molasses (preferably blackstrap)
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Soak the cashews in room-temperature water for 20 minutes. Drain the cashews and place in a blender with the 1 cup of water (or rejuvelac prepared in advance) and probiotic powder, mixing at high speed until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the blender pitcher as necessary.

Put the mixture in a sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth (I used extra-fine cheesecloth and doubled it), placed over a bowl to catch any water. Then put a weight on top to help push out water. I use a jar filled with water as James suggests, with one addition: I then place the jar atop a flat-bottomed plastic bowl with a diameter just slightly smaller than that of the sieve. The bowl helps to distribute the weight for more even pressing. Don’t worry if that much water doesn’t drip out, as the cheesecloth itself will absorb some of the water.

Allow to culture at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. I chose the midpoint of James’ recommendation, allowing it to sit between 36 and 40 hours. Then remove the cultured mixture from the sieve or colander, and place in a medium bowl. Add the cocoa powder, brown sugar, molasses, nutritional yeast, and salt. Stir until well blended and smooth.

If you simply can’t resist, enjoy at this step, spread atop your favorite vegan waffle, alongside a glass of pinot noir. (Some wine recommendations at Barnivore or Veg News.) Otherwise, place the remainder in a small bowl in the warmest part of your refrigerator (usually the veggie crisper) for 1-2 days, where it will thicken just a bit more and the tartness from the culturing will become slightly more pronounced. We finished it within a week, so we didn’t get a chance to experiment with any serious aging.

Jo Stepaniak’s now-classic Uncheese Cookbook originally got me interested in homemade dairy-free cheese possibilities–including desserts similar to cheesecake. While some of her great recipes utilize miso to add a bit of that fermented flavor, the actual culturing of the nuts with probiotics takes things in another direction. (This is how Dr. Cow vegan cheeses does it, but with a bit more practice and know-how.)

I am curious to try a variation on this recipe as well: vegan chipotle chocolate cheese. I do have a bit of raw smoked chipotle cashew cheese aging in my new “cheese cave”–a re-purposed wine refrigerator that I got a good deal on–and may try a cocoa + chipotle hybrid spread in the near future. If you try something like this and it turns out well, please let me know!

*Note: You’ll need to check each brand of probiotic to confirm whether it comes from a non-dairy source. I can’t comment on the different results that different probiotic strains/blends may produce–sources I’ve read so far suggest that most probiotic powders will do the trick. I used New Chapter All Flora, a non-dairy-derived blend of several strains that James includes in his examples. If you buy capsules instead of powder, you’ll need to break open enough capsules to get a teaspoon of the powder, and then discard the shells of the capsules.

**Note: If you’re not a big fan of dark chocolate (i.e., with a cocoa content of above 50%) you may wish to experiment with adding a bit more brown sugar.

This is it: The recipe from The Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook that tastes like cheesy pizza. And it happens to be one of my favorite waffle recipes.

The great photo is from friend and very cool Pittsburgh Vegan Meetup Member Lisa Tirmenstein, who captured the colorful array of some of the ingredients prior to mixing. Add savory Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and yeast-raised aroma. Enjoy!

Makes 4 (7-inch) round Belgian vegan waffles

Because the dough needs time to rise, begin at least 3 hours in advance of baking the waffles or 1 1/2 hours in advance if you are using quick-rise yeast.

• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup pitted and finely chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/3 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, preserved in olive oil or rehydrated
• 1 cup soymilk or other nondairy milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light or chickpea miso
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large non-metal bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt until well blended. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm location until the flour mixture has almost doubled. (You can use your oven for this. Make sure the oven rack is low enough for the bowl to fit. Turn the oven on for one to two minutes at 200 degrees F. Turn off the oven, place the covered bowl on the rack, and close the oven door. If you wish to let the batter stand overnight, covering the bowl and leaving it at room temperature will work fine.)

After the flour mixture has risen, chop the olives and sun-dried tomatoes, and set aside. Combine the soymilk, oil, nutritional yeast, miso, flaxseed, sugar, garlic, baking powder, basil, onion powder, oregano, and cayenne in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly, breaking up any clumps of miso. Pour into the raised flour mixture and stir until well blended. Fold in the olives and sun-dried tomatoes, and let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes while the batter is standing. Spray both grids of the waffle iron with oil. Pour or ladle the batter into the center of the iron, covering no more than two-thirds of the iron’s surface for the first waffle. Adjust the amount as needed for subsequent waffles. Bake each waffle for 4 to 6 minutes, or until it can be removed easily.

Makes 4 cups

We needed a dish to take to a potluck recently, and chocolate pumpkin cookies quickly came to mind. I looove dark chocolate, and we had several cans of pumpkin on hand. However, we were already taking some cookies from Vegan Chocolate Seduction, and I was in the mood for mousse. This fall or winter holiday topping is great served up in a fancy glass or dish, or of course, on top of a vegan waffle.

• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
• 12 ounces firm silken tofu
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons rum (optional)
• 2 tablespoons molasses (preferably blackstrap)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace

Combine the chocolate chips and vegan margarine in a small bowl,  and heat in the microwave at 45- to 60-second intervals just until the chocolate is melted and most lumps can be stirred out. (Time may need to be adjusted depending upon your microwave’s power.) Alternately, melt the mixture in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, heating just until the chocolate has melted and stirring constantly to avoid burning the chocolate.

Combine the softened chocolate chips and margarine with all other ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth. This is a thick mixture, so you may need to stop the blender several times to push the unmixed portion down near the blades with a large spoon or spatula before replacing the lid and turning the blender back on. If you sense you’re maxing out your blender’s power and size capacity, you may find it easier to divide the mixture into two portions, blend them separately until smooth, and then blend them back together at the end.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, as the mixture will thicken a bit as it cools. Serve on top of freshly baked vegan waffles, or in a pompous-looking serving cup or dish.

To make it extra fancy, top the topping with finely chopped candied ginger and chopped chocolate chips or semisweet baker’s chocolate.

Vegan Waffle & Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Fluff

Following an earlier peanut butter based waffle topping recipe, I decided to play with peanut butter a bit more for our waffle party this year. Because a few guests requested this recipe, I decided it was worth posting. I didn’t measure the exact yield because I made it in somewhat of a rush, but it’s somewhere in the range of 1 1/2 to 2 cups–plenty for 4-6 generously topped vegan waffles.

• 6 ounces firm silken tofu, crumbled
• 3/4 cup vegan confectioner’s sugar
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon molasses (I use blackstrap)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir with a spoon until the confectioner’s sugar is moistened. (Otherwise the sugar may create a powdery cloud when you first start up the mixer.) Beat at medium to high speed with a powered hand mixer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving.

Note: For a hint of coffee flavor, add 1 1/2 teaspoons coffee extract.

Kicky Waffle Syrup on Textured Rice Vegan Waffle

Makes 1 1/4 cups

This topping will go with many neutral vegan waffle recipes. It has a bit of a kick from the ginger. It’s a topping I recently started making in bulk to put on my oatmeal, and I’ll also be making a batch for our waffle party. Accompany with non-dairy vanilla ice cream, dried cranberries, and walnuts, if you like.

I snapped the photo without the tripod, while pouring the syrup, so it’s not super-artsy. Cool purple-pink plastic plate, though! And I didn’t get any syrup on the camera.

• 1 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses (preferably blackstrap)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until the spices are dissolved and syrup is desired warmth. Pour generously over your favorite waffle.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Thanks to Blakely of Boston, MA for recently emphasizing how wonderfully peanut butter goes with chocolate vegan waffles, and suggesting that some type of related sauce might be in order.

Coincidentally, I grew up within walking distance of an ice cream shop, and was helplessly addicted to one of their premiere sundaes, which featured chocolate ice cream, fudge, and peanut butter syrup. As I child, I spent a few hours in the kitchen one weekend trying to figure out how they made their peanut butter syrup. (And many years later, I made a few richer and dairy-free versions of the whole sundae.) So I can certainly relate to Blakely’s fondness of the classic chocolate peanut butter combo.

I ended up realizing that I could approximate the flavor of the shop’s peanut butter topping by simply mixing a bit of brown sugar with peanut butter and heating it. A week ago, however, a new flavor entered the equation while enjoying a drink at a local cafe: coffee. So here’s a simple hybrid of an old favorite, for those of you who enjoy your chocolate waffles with a twist.

• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (see note)
• 1 cup peanut butter

Combine the hot water, brown sugar, and coffee granules in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until the sugar and coffee granules are dissolved. Add the peanut butter, and stir constantly just until evenly warm.

Note: Reduce coffee granules to 1 teaspoon if you want just a hint of coffee flavor.

Note: This is a pretty thick topping. To thin, just add another 1/4 cup of water or non-dairy milk and continue to stir constantly over medium heat until evenly warm.

What is your currently favorite vegan waffle recipe, from *any* book/source/author, and why? Just reply to this post on WaffleParty.com or comment on the corresponding share on Vegan Waffles Facebook by 11:59 PM EST (GMT -5) on 3/5/11. (Reply must include an answer.) For two chances, reply to both.

By 3/7/11 I’ll select a respondent for a hard copy of The Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook. GVWC mentions give me a warm fuzzy, but receive no special preference.

This vegan waffle recipe (or a whole stack of waffles) would be great for a vegan breakfast, brunch, dessert, or dinner, depending upon what toppings you wish to use. I love the texture and aroma of yeast-raised waffles. I’m also posting it to provide a sample of one of the recipes from The Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook.

I enjoy getting artistic with the toppings, having been inspired by the creations of Global Vegan Waffle Party hosts and guests. I mean, food like kiwi fruit and strawberries are works of art all alone–add a waffle and some vegan whipped topping, and you’ve practically got a gastronomic Van Gogh!

Makes 4 (7-inch) round Belgian waffles

Because the dough needs time to rise, begin at least 3 hours in advance of baking the waffles or 1 1/2 hours in advance if you are using quick-rise yeast.

• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (see note below)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup soymilk or other nondairy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large non-metal bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt until well blended.

Cover the bowl and place it in a warm location until the flour mixture has almost doubled. You can use your oven to create a warm spot for the flour mixture to rise. Make sure the oven rack is low enough for the bowl to fit in the oven. Turn the oven on for 1 to 2 minutes at 200 degrees F. (It shouldn’t actually reach 200 degrees, but just warm up slightly.) Turn off the oven, place the covered bowl on the rack, and close the oven door to keep in the warmth. If you wish to let the batter stand overnight, strengthening the yeast flavor, covering the bowl and leaving it at room temperature will work fine.

After the flour mixture has risen, combine the brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, soymilk, vanilla extract, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly, breaking up any clumps of baking powder or baking soda. Pour into the raised flour mixture and stir until well blended. Mixing with the handle end of a spoon or other thin item like chopsticks can make it easier to break up the long strands into smaller clumps. The batter does not need to be completely smooth, but you don’t want too many clumps larger than the last segment of your pinky finger.Let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes while the batter is standing. Spray both grids of the waffle iron with oil. Pour or ladle the batter into the center of the iron, covering no more than two-thirds of the iron’s surface for the first waffle. Adjust the amount as needed for subsequent waffles. Bake each waffle for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it can be removed easily.

Note: Use warm water between 105 and 115 degrees F. You can judge this by splashing a bit onto the sensitive skin of your inner wrist—it should feel warmer than lukewarm but not hot or painful.

A subtle orange flavor makes this sauce quite versatile. Along with some of the waffles on this site, it complements a few waffles in the Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook particularly well: the Orange-Basil-Cornmeal Waffles, the Orange-Ginger Snap Waffles, or the Heartfelt Banana-Spelt Waffles. Makes 1 cup.

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/4 cup raw cashew pieces
• 6 ounces firm silken tofu, crumbled (about 2/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Process the orange juice and cashews in a blender for several minutes, or until the cashews are liquefied and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stop as necessary to scrape down the sides of the blender. Add the tofu, sugar, and salt, and blend until the mixture is smooth again.

Note: If you prefer a stronger orange flavor, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of orange extract.

Makes 5 servings (1 serving = 1 1/2 cups waffle cubes with 1/2 cup sauce, shown in photo)

Vegan Waffle Stuffing with cranberry sauce

Whether you’re looking for a creative way to serve vegan waffles, or simply need to use up some leftover waffles stored in the freezer, this recipe will do the trick. Because the sauce is added right before serving, it has extra sauciness without sogginess. Also, it’s a little unusual in that it has a hint of ginger and sweetness. Yummmah!

It works best with waffles that have a relatively neutral flavor. Two possibilities: Molasses Yeast Feast Waffles (tested with this recipe, and blended very well), and Naked Vegan Waffles. The texture and flavor of yeast-raised waffles will be closer to that of traditional bread-based stuffings.

To be baked or reheated and then chopped right after the vegan waffle stuffing sauce is made:

7 to 8 cups of bite-sized waffle pieces (roughly four 7-inch round Belgian waffles, or around 1 batch), using your favorite recipe

Vegan waffle stuffing sauce:

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine, divided
• 1 cup peeled and finely chopped apple
• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• salt to taste (see note)

If using freshly baked waffles that need time to rise, such as yeast-raised waffles, start the batter in advance of making the sauce.

For the sauce, combine the onion and 2 tablespoons of the margarine in a large saucepan. Sauté covered over medium heat for 5 minutes or until slightly browned, stirring once per minute to avoid burning. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of margarine, apple, celery, and ground ginger. Sauté covered for 3-5 more minutes, continuing to stir at least once per minute. Stir in the vegetable stock and brown sugar.

In a cup or very small bowl, whisk the corn starch with the hot water until the corn starch is completely dissolved. Pour the corn starch mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the ingredients, and stir rapidly to incorporate and break up any clumps. Stir constantly while heating for another 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and has thickened slightly. Taste and add salt if necessary. Cover the sauce, and turn off the heat or reduce it to simmer/keep warm.

Bake or reheat your waffles (see note), and chop them into bite-size pieces.

Spoon waffle pieces onto serving plates, and spoon warm sauce onto each pile of waffle pieces just before serving.

Note: If you’re making fresh waffles, you can leave them in the waffle iron 1 minute longer than normal if you’d like to make them a bit toastier. However, if you’re putting the sauce on right before serving this is optional. If the waffles have been frozen, and you don’t wish to use the toaster, you can also reheat them by placing them back in the hot waffle iron for 1-2 minutes.

Note: Start with 1/8 teaspoon salt if margarine and vegetable stock don’t provide enough saltiness.