At his Lt. Waffle bar inside San Francisco’s Linea Caffe, Chef Anthony Myint pays homage to churros by coating a thick, yeast-raised waffle with cinnamon sugar, then drizzling it with a subtly chile-spiked chocolate sauce and luscious Mexican crema enriched with coconut cream.

This recipe was featured as part of our Valentine’s Day feature on romance waffles.

  • Yields: About 6 Belgian waffles
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 55 mins, plus 1 hr rising time

Ingredients (29)

For the yeast mixture:

  • 1/2 cup whole milk, at warm room temperature
  • 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (1 1/4 teaspoons)

For the waffles:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup semolina flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Vegetable oil, for brushing the waffle iron

For the cinnamon sugar:

  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the chocolate sauce:

  • 1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons freshly made espresso
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch kosher salt

For the coconut crema:

  • 2 tablespoons thick coconut cream (the thick part from the top of a can of coconut milk)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup Mexican crema or crème fraîche

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 250°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place it in the oven.

For the yeast mixture:

  1. Stir together the milk, sugar, and yeast and set aside to activate for 15 minutes.

For the waffles:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, semolina, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, half and half, vanilla, and activated yeast mixture.
  2. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture, whisking in the dry mixture from the sides until you get a fairly smooth batter (small lumps are OK). Cover and let sit at room temperature until risen, at least 1 hour. (You can also cover and refrigerate overnight, allowing it to warm at room temperature for 1 hour before making the waffles.)
  3. Heat the waffle iron to medium according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the iron is heated, brush it with vegetable oil, fill it with batter, close the lid, and cook until the waffle is golden brown (when the steam starts to diminish from the iron, you can open the top and peek for doneness). Transfer the waffle to the wire rack on the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the iron with oil as needed.

For the cinnamon sugar:

  1. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

For the chocolate sauce:

  1. Combine the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk in the water, espresso, chili powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

For the coconut crema:

  1. Mix the coconut cream and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla and crema or crème fraîche.

To assemble:

  1. Sprinkle each waffle with cinnamon sugar, drizzle with chocolate sauce and coconut crema, then sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar.