My husband has been begging me to make pizzelles for weeks, telling me all about how his grandmother made them every year for Christmas. How an Italian cookie became a Polish family tradition is beyond me...
So I scoured the Internet for a pizzelle recipe and using several different sites created one that sounded like what he'd described. Only problem? We didn't own a pizzelle iron.
Traditionally pizzelles were baked over an open fire, a hot and tedious undertaking. Thank goodness for modern conveniences -- we can now purchase electric pizzelle irons that make baking pizzelles simple and easy. After a little research, I settled on this CucinaPro Non-Stick Pizzelle Baker
If you're not a fan of the flavor of anise, a common spice in pizzelles that has a flavor akin to licorice, don't worry. Pizzelles are wonderfully flexible when it comes to both flavoring and shaping them. Vanilla, chocolate, almond, citrus, these are all fabulous flavors to add, and warm pizzelles can be shaped into cones, cannoli, bowls, tacos, and more.
I opted to keep my cookies simple, just flavoring them with Scharffen Berger Natural Cocoa Powder and Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. When you're making a recipe as simple as this, high-quality ingredients make all the difference!
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions:
- Beat eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl approximately 2 to 3 minutes, until they're fluffy and a light yellow color.
- Slowly drizzle in melted and cooled butter and add vanilla extract.
- Using a spatula, fold in flour and baking powder just until incorporated into the wet ingredients.
- Bake one tablespoon per mold in pizzelle maker until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove and cool on rack.
- Omit vanilla in recipe above, adding 3 tablespoons of quality unsweetened cocoa powder sifted and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Tips for making perfect pizzelles:
- Even though I used a non-stick pizzelle maker, I still recommend misting the molds lightly with oil before the first use.
- Place your tablespoon of batter slightly behind the center of the mold because it will spread forward as you close the lid. It may help to have a second spoon to help scoop the batter off the tablespoon.
- Speaking of closing the lid, do it slowly to allow steam to escape easily and not burn the heck out of your fingers. Don't ask...
- Have a cooling rack easily accessible next to the pizzelle maker. I found the best process for me was to use a wooden spatula to remove the pizzelles from the maker to the cooling rack, start the next batch of pizzelles coooking, and then move the cooled pizzelles to a stack to make room for the next round of hot ones.
- If you want to mold your pizzelles into a different shape, do it while they're still warm and flexible. Get creative!
Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.
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Tara Kuczykowski is a married mom of three boys and two girls, ages 4 to 10 years, living in Columbus, OH.
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been craving pizzelles and thinking about buying a maker. The CucinaPro maker you got is the exact one I was looking at! I’d love to know what you think of it! Thanks!!
I was very pleased with it, Jodi! I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I found it very simple to use. The pizzelles turned out excellent, and cleaning it up when I was done was super easy — always important to me!
I have the CucinaPro pizzelle baker and have been using it for over 2 years. It is wonderful, every pizzelle comes out beautifully and I have been very happy with it. It seems to be a heavy duty design (my last one was plastic and burned out in a year) and I would highly recommended this pizzelle maker if anyone is looking to buy one.
Hi I just bought the Cucina Pro pizzelle maker and tried a batch with the recipe in the book. They tasted great, but not pretty – I tried different amounts of batter, placing it in different places on the grid, etc., and they are either lopsided, or run over the edge. Any sugestions? Do you use a level tablespoon of batter? Thanks!
I found that they did have a tendency to run over the edges, especially with the chocolate batter because it had a slightly runnier consistency. I used a rounded tablespoon of batter and placed it just behind the center of the grid since it pushes the batter forward as you close it. As long as it fills the mold evenly, runover should be okay because it’s pretty easy to break it off once they cool.
Thank you Tara for the feedback about the trouble I’m having making pizzelles with the Cucina Pro. (issues with them being unevenly shaped, batter running over, etc.) I wondered if it was just this particular model, but they all seem to be designed the same. I did wonder if you have to trim the pizzelle while warm with kitchen scissors or something to make a nice edge. I guess I just need more practice in placing the batter in the correct place on the grid. Breaking off the excess after they cool is a good idea too.
Somehow my Polish family also created a tradition for these Italian cookies. And my husband’s family too. We’re having a cookie exchange in a couple weeks and I am gearing up for a long day infront of my pizzelle iron.
Thanks for another great post! Making pizzelles is something my Polish family also did/does. I’m keeping the tradition alive and made a batch this year using vanilla, though I also really like using almond extract, too. However, the pizzelle iron I borrowed from my mom makes smaller pizzelles than the ones my grandma used to make, and the edges aren’t as pretty as yours (or hers). Maybe I’ll have to invest in my own pizzelle iron soon. ;-) Oh, and I’ve never tried/made the chocolate version, so that’s another thing on my to-do list!
We love Pizzelles. I think that they are traditionally made with Anise extract, but I hate licorice anything, so we always go with vanilla. They are wonderful with coffee. =) We aren’t Polish or Italian….
Yep, they do use anise seeds or anise extract traditionally, but we don’t care for licorice either.
This looks like it will be a fun newsletter/website! I just signed up so please don’t forget to enter me to win that gorgeous Scanpan CTX 5-Piece Cookware set! Best wishes!
thank you! I will be adding a pizzelle maker to my dear santa list this year. lol
I have never made these before, but they look and sound really yummy! And your pictures look great. :)
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
I love the anise flavor. I’ve been making these cookies for years. Have worn out 2 pizzelle makers. We sprinkle ours with powdered sugar.
Interesting recipe. I have eaten similar cookie in Prague. I think it is their traditional cookie…
I had a pizzelle for the first time on holiday in Maine this summer, and as one who knows about pizzelles might expect, fell in love immediately. A pizzelle maker would be great and having the treat fresh even more so, but for now I’ll have to search out an Italian bakery!
Cheers,
*Heather*
I am excited to see your recipes….I am always up for new ideas. First time here, please dont forget to enter me in the drawing for the ScanPan CTX 5 piece cookware. I was really impressed with it being nonstick and you can use metal utensils!!!! HOw exciting…..I dont kow how many times I have cringed over my pans when someone comes to use a metal utensils. EEEKS….Thank you and look forward to great recipes!
Oh thank you! I haven’t had a pizelle in years!
I am also polish, and you guessed it, theses were a holiday tradition in our house. Dust them with powered sugar as they cool.
I make these often. My favorite way to make them is to replace the vanilla with some annisette liquor.
I love vanilla pizelles, and I wish I had the space for one of those pizelle makers! I’m going to have to ask around and see if I can borrow one…
FYI, Poland had an Italian Queen in the Renaissance. Hence, things like borcht with cheese stuffed tortellini, and pizelli are found throughout Poland. Pizelli is the plural of pizelle. Also, I would like to mention that in my family’s dialect, Pizelli is also called “Ciarle” I don’t know how to spell it because my Nonna immigrated as a child and was illiterate, but as children, we used to call it “Charlie”. And, in the 60′s it was popular to roll the pizelli in the oven and fill with cream, peasant canolli, I think.
Wow, thanks for the quick history lesson, Rina. That’s fascinating stuff! I know what you mean about not knowing how to spell things. My great-grandma emigrated from Hungary, so there are a good many dishes that I know by their Hungarian names but have no clue how to spell.
Your most welcome, Online interaction is my favourite bedside activity, I have been sick for over a week! And in my clogged-minded state, I forgot to mention that I love your blog! I just found it and am quite pleased. I have already Evernoted some of your urls for future dinner parties. Thanks, and hopefully you will be up for my ongoing banter ;-)
I’m glad to have you here, Rina! I’m not new to blogging (my other site is http://dealseekingmom.com ), but Unsophisticook and food blogging is a new venture for me. I love it so far!
Sorry, I believe that they should only be made with anise; anything is an abomination. I too dislike licorice, but I love pizzelles. If they are made properly, the anise flavor is not overpowering.
Here is my family recipe.
http://www.facebook.com/CharlieWilliamsMusic/posts/174907679210053
I had these in France served with ice-cream ! They were wonderful ! I must buy a pizzelle maker. Thanks for the pizzelle recipe !
Cześć, jeśli nie mam maszyny do pieczenia pizzelle czy mogę upiec ciasteczka na patelni?
I’m jut amazed that I just in the past few weks FOUND a cookie called Pizzelle… what rock have I been hiding under! My Goodness! I’m ADDICTED! The heck with Christmas, I’ll eat them YEAR ROUND! I just can’t seem to find a iron anywhere near me and HATE to order off the internet. Yes, I’m chicken to give out my card numbers to websites. I did see one recipie that absolutely did NOT call for baking soda. They said it would make the cookie tough. But the batter was awfully thin! I think if I ever find a cookie maker, I’ll use your recipie instead. Thank you so much for the information. And please! enter me in your contest! Thanks again so much!
Can I make pizzelle without a pizzelle cooker???? Can I just bake them in an oven or in a skillet on top of the stove
The original pizzelle irons were used on the stovetop, but I don’t think you could make them successfully in just a skillet. They’re similar to a waffle and need to be pressed to achieve this.
I made these last night and they turned out soft and had no flavor. I threw the batter away.
Hi Kristen! If you followed the recipe exactly, it sounds like maybe they were slightly undercooked. They will be super soft coming off the press (this is what allows you to form them into shapes as I mentioned in the post), but they should become crisp as they cool. If they don’t crisp up, they probably weren’t cooked long enough.
It usually takes me a few tries to find the perfect timing. Thirty seconds is a good rule, but I also watch for the steam to stop escaping from the sides of the press. I don’t ever use the sensor light on the press as this typically does not provide good results.
You can definitely add more vanilla to the recipe if you prefer a stronger flavor. Make sure you use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
I love pizzelles and thought I’d add a little tip. Adding the juice of a whole lemon, as well as a little bit of grated peel gives the pizzelles a nice tangy flavor. Everybody I’ve given these to loves this touch.
Also, if people like the pizzelles a little cakier, not latching the press makes a nice fluffy pizzelle as opposed to a crispy one. It seems to stay warm longer and is a little more dessert-y.
Thank you so much for this receipe!! These were delicious!! I made them for my family and within two hours they were gone! I will definitely be making these again!!
I just found this on pinterest and I can’t wait to make it…I have to save up a bit for the pizzelle maker but it can be done. Thank you so much!
Love, Katie
In our family, we time the pizzelle by saying one “Hail Mary.” Who knew Mary was Italian???