Crispy Chocolate Pizzelle Recipe (Pizzelle Al Cioccolato)

This easy chocolate pizzelle recipe produces light and crispy chocolate Italian waffle cookies using a pizzelle iron! Making these chocolate pizzelle cookies is a Christmas Eve tradition in our home...

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Crispy Chocolate Pizzelle Recipe

Let's go waayyy back for just a moment (2010 to be precise)... This classic vanilla pizzelle recipe was one of the VERY FIRST recipes I ever shared on my blog! Hard to believe it's been that long, but it's stood the test of time and is still my most popular Christmas cookie recipe to date.

Readers have shared a lot of tips and feedback on the recipe, which is always appreciated. But what stands out to me the most is how passionate people are about their pizzelles! Whoa, was I surprised by how many diehard traditional anise pizzelle lovers are out there -- some who were NOT happy that I used vanilla in their beloved cookie...

But we like variety around here, and I have no problem with forgoing tradition for flavors like almond, lemon, and especially these chocolate pizzelle.

Conversions for these varieties have always been listed in my original recipe, but I've had a lot of requests for a full on chocolate pizzelle cookies post, complete with pretty photos, tips for keeping them crispy, and all... So this one's for YOU!

But trust me, you're ALL going to want to try them. #sogood

Chocolate Pizzelle Ingredients

The ingredient list for this chocolate pizzelle recipe is fairly short -- and sweet (ha, couldn't help myself)! But seriously, if you're looking for a budget-friendly recipe for holiday cookie exchanges, this is the ONE.

Especially if you're lucky enough to have a Save A Lot nearby... Their prices on baking ingredients simply cannot be beat, and the quality is amazing. In fact, they stand behind their exclusive private label products so strongly that they offer a 100% money back guarantee on every purchase.

I mean take a look at these prices:

• Good Nature large grade A eggs (18-ct.), $1.45
• Ginger Evans granulated sugar (4-lbs.), $1.45
• Coburn Farms butter (1-lb.), $2.39
• Ginger Evans all purpose flour (5-lbs.), $1.59
• Ginger Evans cocoa powder (8-oz.), $1.99
• Hearth Club baking powder (8.1-oz.), $0.99

Can you even believe it? So basically, even if you didn't have ANY of the ingredients for this chocolate pizzelle recipe on hand, you'd walk out the Save A Lot doors paying just $9.86.

And if you break it down by what you'd actually use in one batch of these pizzelle cookies? Well, it works out to just $1.32. I guess that makes me kind of a numbers nerd, but hey, feeding five tweens and teens is NOT cheap!

Oh, and I even snagged a 2-oz. bottle of Marcum pure vanilla extract for just $4.99. Just WOW... I mean, have you seen the prices on real vanilla recently?!?

How To Make Chocolate Pizzelle Batter

Here's what you need to know about making this chocolate pizzelle cookie recipe: it's super-duper easy and foolproof IF you follow the instructions. So please take a minute to read through them before you get started. Truthfully, I'm guilty of skipping this step on occasion, and I can tell you it almost always comes back to bite me in the behind. #goodadvice

Basically, you beat the eggs and sugar together for approximately 2-3 minutes, until they're light and fluffy. Then continue to beat the mixture while drizzling in the melted and cooled (← very important!!) butter.

The dry ingredients should be sifted after measuring into a separate bowl and whisked together before folding them into the wet mixture. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated, and then you're ready to fire up your pizzelle iron.

PRO TIP: You can prepare pizzelle batter up to 3 days in advance, allowing you to bake them fresh when you're ready. Baking vanilla and chocolate pizzelles while watching A Christmas Story is a Christmas Eve tradition for us, so I like to mix the batter up on Christmas Eve morning. This way it's ready to go after dinner!!

Also, be sure to note how THICK the batter is in the photograph. This is completely normal, and it does NOT need thinned out!

Making Crispy Chocolate Pizzelles

Probably the question I'm most often asked is how to make crispy pizzelles? And the honest answer is that it really has nothing to do with how you cook them. All pizzelle cookies are soft and flexible when they're hot off the press. The trick is in how you handle them after cooking...

First things first, as you can see in the photo above, it's not uncommon for the pizzelle batter to seep outside the mold edges when you're cooking them. Don't panic! While the chocolate pizzelle are still warm and flexible, you can gently pull off the excess.

Or if you want as perfect an edge as possible, you can actually trim them with a pair of kitchen shears. Then lay the freshly baked pizzelles on a wire cooling rack to cool completely, and they will continue to crisp up over the next few hours.

The exception would be if you live in a very humid area, in which case you can lay them out on a baking sheet and pop it into a 350-degree oven for about 2 minutes to completely dry them out. Then be sure to store them in an airtight container until you're ready to serve them.

Storing Chocolate Pizzelle Cookies

Wondering how long can you store pizzelles? Chocolate pizzelle cookies will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container. If they should soften up, simply follow the instructions above for crisping them up in the oven to revive them.

They also freeze well for up to three months, and they thaw quickly at room temperature for serving.

P.S. Save A Lot also has Sugardale hams for an unbeatable price! If you snag one, be sure to print out my Instant Pot ham recipe that will have it on your table in under 30 minutes. It's what we're making for Christmas dinner!

You'll also want to check out their canned veggies (we're talking as low as $0.49 per can)... I picked up all of the ingredients to make my easy green bean casserole and cream corn casserole for Thanksgiving for a TOTAL. STEAL.