McGriddle-inspired Chaffles

Folks, I’m a few years too late to hop on the chaffle bandwagon, and I’m not regretful at all. Why? Well, I wasn’t really excited about the notion of chaffles since I first heard of them a couple years ago, and as I suspected, I’m not really into them quite as much as others are. I made a couple and thought… “They’re pretty OKAY,” so my expectations hadn’t been raised or lowered at all.

I’ve so far made regular chaffles, then pizza chaffles, and then mini-waffles using coconut flour. Individually, they were all just OK…not something I’d go through the effort for again, when I can make a 4-egg cheese omelet in less time, or a dozen egg muffins for just a dash more effort than it takes to get me one pair of chaffles. But this, my masterpiece—a keto chaffle sandwich for breakfast, inspired by the McGriddle—is probably the only real reason I will use my mini waffle maker from here on out!

What’s not to like? A tender and slightly sweet/slightly savory pair of fluffy waffles as “sandwich bread” surrounding an egg and a perfectly seasoned maple pork sausage patty… and with my low carb sugar-free maple syrup on the side?  C’mon…it’s like fast food heaven, but way better for you.

Honestly, I rarely eat out these days, so I don’t even know if they make these breakfast sandwiches at the Golden Arches anymore, but I do remember tasting a sausage McGriddle sandwich once years ago, and thinking it was a lot better than an egg McMuffin.

I’m sure there is already a recipe out there for this, but I never looked, I just put this together myself and smashed it on the first try, so I wanted to share how I accomplished a low carb fast food breakfast sandwich that’s this delicious. Anyway, moving on!  Let me know if you love this as much as I do.

INGREDIENTS

For the chaffle “sandwich” parts:
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese
(I have used mozzarella, mild cheddar, and a mix of both, as well as some Kerrgold Dubliner cheese)
Dash of salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sugar substitute + dash of vanilla extract
OR
About a teaspoon of my sugar-free maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted

For the middles (egg and sausage patty):
1 egg
1 sausage patty
(try one of my sugar-free low carb sausage patties!)

DIRECTIONS

Mix the chaffle sandwich ingredients together using a fork. The best thing to mix chaffle ingredients in is a small glass measuring cup with a spout (or any other type of small (less than 2 cups) container with a spout. It helps to pour the batter more easily.

Heat your waffle maker (I use a mini waffle maker) and once the irons are hot and ready, pour half of the batter (about 1/3 cup) into the iron and let it set until your first chaffle “sandwich” piece is to your desired doneness.

Lift out and set aside, repeat to make another “sandwich” piece. Set aside your second chaffle to cool.

Next, make an egg either in a skillet or add it to the waffle maker to make a fluffy egg waffle. You choose whether to beat the egg first, or just cook it in the waffle iron for a waffle-shaped fried egg (kinda neat).

While waiting, heat your sausage patty either in the skillet or microwave.

Place your cooked egg and cooked sausage patty between your two chaffles and you have your McGriddle chaffle breakfast sandwich. Oh, and don’t forget to unplug your waffle maker!

Enjoy it with your favorite low carb sugar-free maple syrup.

NOTES:

The important thing with chaffles is texture.

If you want a fluffy and moist chaffle, you needn’t cool them for long.

If you want a crispy and drier chaffle, the cooling is important. I leave mine out on a paper plate for about 5-8 minutes, which is basically the whole time it takes me to wait for coffee to brew. Then by the time I’ve finished making the rest of my meal, the outsides are crisp and perfectly fine to handle (but with enough syrup, I still use a fork!).