Most of you have probably heard about this "chickpea meringue" trend that's been going on. If you haven't heard, basically some crazy vegan genius figured out that you can use chickpea brine (from cans of chickpeas) as a vegan egg substitute. Even further, it was discovered that you can mix powdered sugar into this brine and come up with a perfectly good vegan meringue substitute. Now there are hoards of vegans coming up with some brilliant recipes that could never be accomplished pre-CM (Chickpea Meringue). It's like the holy grail of vegan substitutions was discovered.
When I heard about this phenomenon, I'll be honest with you, I was disgusted. I'm one of those people who grimace when they drain a can of beans because that thick, gooey liquid really grosses me out. I never really cared for meringue in my pre-vegan days so I wasn't interested in making any now. And I like to purchase my vegan macarons, rather than make them myself (because I'm lazy and it makes them more of a treat for me) so I had no interest in following the trend of trying to veganize them with this new wonder-substitute. It also seems that these recipes require a crap-load of sugar and I don't even keep sugar in my house. Me and too much sugar don't mix well. Some other bloggers found other great applications for the brine and I was excited for them but I had no interest in consuming the brine from my can of chickpeas.
That was, until I saw a post from one of my favorite blogs, Seitan is My Motor. She used chickpea brine to make vegan marshmallow fluff. This piqued my interest because I had been trying for awhile, unsuccessfully, to make a vegan marshmallow fluff and I'd pretty much given up. Her recipe looked simple enough and I had most of the ingredients. I just decided to switch out the powdered sugar with powdered xylitol to make it more friendly to my sugar-sensitive body. I also used lemon juice instead of cream of tartar (because I totally thought I had some when I went grocery shopping and then realized when I got home that I did not) for a touch of tanginess and I used vanilla powder instead of vanilla extract to make up for the liquid/dry ratio I screwed up with the lemon juice. I also increased the guar gum because I wanted the fluff to be a little stickier. I wanted it to hold its own between two waffles but we'll get to that in a bit.
The fluff worked out perfectly. It was seriously like magic. Yes, I was grossed out at the beginning during the whole brine-collection part, but once I began mixing it with the other ingredients, my disgustedness was replaced with pure awe. Magic was happening in my bowl and a sugar-free, vegan marshmallow fluff began to creep up the beaters of my hand mixer. I may've screamed and made Chris run to the kitchen to see it. And then I may've laughed a little maniacally but totally not on purpose.
Now to the waffles. I've been dreaming about S'mores Waffles for the better part of 4 months. Two graham-crackery-tasting gluten-free, vegan waffles stuffed with gooey, slightly burnt marshmallow fluff and thick melted chocolate. Yes. Four months of scheming on how to make this day-dream of mine appear on my Sunday morning brunch plate.
I perfected the waffles early on- achieving the taste of graham crackers with a combination of buckwheat flour, blackstrap molasses, and cinnamon. I knew I wanted the chocolate sauce to be thicker than just straight-up melted chocolate and I wanted it to have more nutritional depth. Combining melted sugar-free chocolate with a puree of dates and almond milk gave me just what I was looking for. I'd purchased a cooking torch early on in hopes of using it on my homemade marshmallow fluff, but there never was enough of a successful result to use it. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that there was even more maniacal laughing while browning the winning batch of sugar-free, vegan marshmallow fluff (and also looks of concern/fear-for-their-life from Chris, Max, and Sophia).
That first bite was so rewarding and triumphant. And also stupidly delicious. And also decadent and dare-I-say, miraculous. I mean, it was S'mores and Waffles happening at the same time and it was vegan and sugar-free and gluten-free and IT WAS ALL MINE (and the rest of my family with whom I shared them with). And now they're ALL YOURS. I hope I hear some maniacal laughter coming from your kitchen very soon.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chickpea brine
- 3/4 teaspoon guar gum
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup powdered xylitol (blend xylitol in a very dry blender until it is a powder) or powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla powder
- 1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2/3 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I used Lily's Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips)
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine the chickpea brine with the guar gum and lemon juice in a large bowl. Use a hand mixer on it's highest setting for about 2 minutes or until it is thick and foamy.
- Add the powdered xylitol and vanilla powder and mix with the hand mixer on the highest setting for about 5 minutes or until very thick, fluffy, and sticky. It will climb up your beaters so you will have to stop occasionally to knock it back into the bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and lick the beaters clean, laughing maniacally while you do so.
- In medium bowl. combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice for the waffles. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the buckwheat, oat, sweet rice, and almond flours with the baking powder, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- To the medium bowl containing the milk/lemon juice mixture, add the applesauce, oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a spoon to stir together until combined. If the batter thickens and/or dries out while waiting for the waffle iron to heat up, add a few tablespoons of non-dairy milk to thin it back out.
- To make the small waffles, you will use half of what you would normally use in your waffle iron to make a full-sized waffle (so if you normally use 1 cup of batter, you will use a 1/2 cup of batter for these waffles). Pour the half portion of batter into the middle of the iron, and if needed, use a rubber spatula to gently help spread it out. Cook the waffle according to your waffle iron's instructions. Repeat until you have used all of the batter. To keep waffles warm while waiting for the others to cook, place the waffles on a baking sheet in your oven, set to the lowest heat setting.
- Make the chocolate sauce while the waffles are cooking. Combine the dates and 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until mostly smooth, pausing to scrape the sides down as necessary. Add 1/4 cup of milk and process/blend until smooth. If you would like a thinner sauce, add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk.
- In a double boiler, or a glass bowl fixed over a small pot of boiling water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the melted chocolate with the salt to the date mixture and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl or cup and set aside. If it thickens while you're waiting, you can reheat it in the microwave for a about 15 seconds or add more milk to thin it out.
- To assemble, spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over one of the waffles. If you want to, you can use a kitchen torch to brown the fluff, but its totally not necessary. You could also probably place the waffle with the fluff under the broiler in the oven but you'll risk drying out the waffle. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the fluff and top with another waffle. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
I use a Belgian waffle maker that uses A LOT of batter. If your waffle iron doesn't need a lot of batter or if you have a regular waffle iron, you may want to consider cutting the waffle ingredients in half.
If you want to be extremely generous with your marshmallow fluff, I would double the recipe (that's what I did, though I had quite a bit leftover).
Thank you Seitan is My Motor for making my brunch dreams come true!
Photography by Chris Miller
Victoria
This post is hilarious and your pictures are amazing!
I've heard about the marshmallow fluff but was also kind of grossed out! Do you know if it still works with the liquid from boiling the chickpeas at home? That would be awesome!
Victoria
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
No words....this is out of this world! And FINALLY a marshmallow that is SOY-FREE too! XOXO
michelle
I have to admit I did the meringue cookies to see if it would work. I have a cheap little hand mixer... no fancy kitchen aid and it was perfect. I did see the marshmallow and thought woah...
this looks great btw
The Vegan Cookie Fairy
OMG Kristy!!! I am totally going to try this!!! Seems rather intricate to make but it must be worth a shot 🙂
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Wait what what whatttt?! This is all new to me and I NEED THIS!!
Emma
This is too fun! I haven't delved into making healthy vegan marshmallow anything yet, but am curious to try this one out!
kittee
yowza!!!
mason
Whoa. This s'mwaffle looks amazing! As I experiment with chickpea meringue, my mind continues to be blown! Why would anyone ever eat embryos?! Power to the chickpea.
Collette
OMG I have not heard of that. Thank you so much for this post. My daughter is going to be thrilled. I'M thrilled!
Marie
At last, marshmallow fluff made without a stand mixer!
I agree with Mason. Bow down to the almighty chickpea.
christine
Well, I have to say they look amazing:) and it really is incredible that chickpea brine can actually be useful! Well done
Carey
Hold. The. Phone.
I think I'm going to have to make these tonight. My husband LOVES breakfast for dinner and I love chocolate and marshmallow (haven't had marshmallows since going plant-based). Unfortunately, I do not have a waffle maker - do you think these would do well as pancakes? Thanks so much!
keepinitkind
Sorry I couldn't get back to you before yesterday night! I think they should work as pancakes, though you may have to thin the batter out with a little more non-dairy milk. Good luck!
Emma
Wow, wow, WOW!! These look phenomenal Kristy! I've seen a few vegan meringue/marshmallow ideas floating about but have been put off by all the sugar. These are definitely a must-make 😀
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship
When I make these - you'll be hearing joyous laughter coming from the kitchen all right! Will the batter work for pancakes as well?
Sue
These look amazing. I too, am ready to jump on the chickpea liquid/fluff/meringue bandwagon. And with waffles planned for Sun. nt's dinner and no recipe yet, I will definitely give your recipe a try.Thank you.
Taylor
Kristy, you are a gem.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
This post is just everything. I cannot get enough of smores - so a smores flavoured waffle is right up my ally!
Ami@NaiveCookCooks
OMG!!! Even though I am not into vegan food but this is just OUT OF THIS WORLD AWESOME!!
Emma
Wow healthy Marshmallow fluff! Could you please advise how long the fluff will keep and where to store? Maybe it all has to be eaten / used in one go ?
keepinitkind
I would store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it should last 1-2 days.
Anne
Chickpea brine is the new creamed cashews!
Cassie
The waffles look so delicious! I love this!
Liz
SHUTthefrontdoor! You can make FLUFF from the GOO from chickpeas?!? Say WHAT! (Those crazy vegans! What will they think of next? I swear, I have officially seen EVERYTHING!)
I am simultaneously disgusted, intrigued and ridiculously excited to try this out. And, yes, I, too, am continuously grossed out by the chickpea slime that congeals at the bottom of the beans. Dealing with it, I feel like Pee Wee Herman in his Big Adventure when he needs to rescue the snakes from the burning pet shop -- I turn up my nose at it, saving it for last, and when I finally can't avoid it anymore, just hold my breath and go for it, hoping it's over fast. LOL
Does it make me a bad vegan that I had NO idea this existed?? Thank goodness for KIK for keeping me in the loop of what's what in the plant-based world. 🙂
I am DYING to try this, and I'm getting ready to propose to you for making this sugar free!! I don't buy canned beans, BUT I have a freshly made batch of chickpeas in the fridge, complete with goop and all. I hope it works the same with homemade slime as it does with canned. . .
Kayse
This look so so so amazing!!!!! What a genius idea!
Breanna
WOW these look amazing! I have also always been disgusted by that canned bean goop, but all of this chickpea meringue stuff makes me want to try out! Yum!
Tina
wow.. these look incredible!!
Britney
Yum
Sarah
Oh my goodness this looks amazing!!! I'll have to try it out soon!
Michelle P
These look so good. I am going to buy the ingredients tonight after work. YUM!
Joanne Power
I am going to try this but does the fluff make you gassy? I always rinse my beans really well to get rid of the brine.
keepinitkind
It didn't make us gassy. Generally, the brine from the beans isn't what causes gas. If the dried beans aren't soaked long enough before they're cooked, breaking down and removing some of the components that generally cause gas, then beans will make you gassy. With canned beans, you can never know how long the beans were soaked prior to cooking, but the brine that builds up after cooking them is basically just the starch from the beans combining with the water they're stored in.
Caroline Christian
Silly question.
Are you measuring 1/2 cup xylitol then powdering it, or powdering a load xylitol then measuring?
keepinitkind
Not a silly question! I blend an entire package of xylitol and then measure it already powdered.
Caroline Christian
Thanks 🙂
Going to have to do this for my wee vegan girl who misses out on s'mores at forest school 🙂
Naila
Oh my goodness! This looks so delicious! I'm trying this recipe first chance I get!
Emma
Smores are my boyfriend's favorite treat but he gave them up since they were filled with so many processed ingredients. Can't wait to surprise him with these for his new job celebration. Thanks!
Emma
Does anyone know if I could sub arrowroot flour for guar gum in this? I'd rather use what I have in my pantry if it will work, but if not guar gum it will be!
keepinitkind
Sorry for the delayed reply. Arrowroot will not have the same affect. The guar gum is what makes it sticky and, for lack of a better word, gummy. The arrowroot powder will simply thicken it. Good luck!
Julia Roberts
This looks really good and I am going to try this one day. Hope it would work and thanks for sharing.
Mason
This recipe is seriously incredible! Totally addresses the need for a marshmallow fix every now and again and the more frequent chocolate fix!
Elisa Hernandez
I simply cannot stress how much I love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it with us:) It's genius!
Chi
This is unreal! I can't believe there exists such thing as sugar-free marshmallow fluff! You're a baking genius !!!
Love your recipes so much and would love to invite you to become a Chicory partner. Are you interested?
saiai
Hi. I totally love your blog. Great work. Can i use the water from boiled chickpea? Would it work?
keepinitkind
Thank you. I really don't know if that would work, but I'm sure if you research, there are others who have tried it.
Diana Fleming, PhD, LDN
Can't wait to try this amazing creation. Question: if you don't have medjool dates about how many regular pitted dates would you use?
keepinitkind
I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry. I'm guessing it would be the same.
Roxannie Daley-Jover
I would like to know how long the meriangue keeps its form. I need to make a few pies and would like to decorate with it. So far I have had little success. I only have a few mod weeks to try something else but
I'm thinking that the guar gum would help keep the form when left outside for a while? I need help...please?! Thanks
Roxannie Daley-Jover
Thanks
keepinitkind
This is actually a recipe for marshmallow fluff, not meringue, and it actually only lasts for about 1-2 days. I would look into actual aquafaba meringue recipes (there are tons out there) to accomplish what you're trying to do. Thanks!
Pablo
Could I sub all the flours with all purpose? This seems delicious, and I don't have all those flours on hand.
keepinitkind
That should be fine.
Javonni
I just wanted to let you know I used the marshmallow fluff to make fantasy fudge. It worked perfect.
Jaime
White Cannellini beans water would work better. Freshly cooked, it smells egg like, not be any I use these. http://www.zursunbeans.com/beans/ I also recommend powdering Coconut palm sugar in a coffee grinder for sugar free.
Maija Haavisto
As its name says, coconut sugar is sugar. Not sugar-free. (Where would people get the idea that sugar is sugar-free?)
keepinitkind
I think Jaime was simply stating that coconut sugar is and option for refined sugar-free. It is actually a very healthy alternative to sugar as it is very low on the glycemic index.