Pizzelle are a holiday classic, but that doesn’t mean they’re reserved for holidays only! All the Italian goddesses in my family make these traditional Italian waffle cookies by pulling out their ancient pizzelle makers and pressing out perfect disks of deliciousness. There’s never been a holiday cookie table in the history of my family that doesn’t have a shrine of pizzelle. Traditionally flavored with anise, they have a unique flavor that makes them more memorable than your everyday cookie.
During the summer, they make an amazing ice cream sandwich, so get your hands on a pizzelle maker (call your local Maria if need be), and let’s make some cookies!
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Pizzelle
What You’ll Need
- 6 eggs
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons liquid anise (or vanilla extract if you must)
- 3 1/2 cups flour*
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- Confectioner’s sugar
*Gluten free All-Purpose 1:1 flour can be used.
What You’ll Do
- Plug in your pizzelle maker and get her heated up!
- Grab a big bowl and add your wet ingredients: 6 eggs, 2 sticks melted unsalted butter, and 2 tablespoons liquid anise (or vanilla extract). Whisk to combine.
- Add 3 ½ cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 ⅓ cups sugar to the bowl and stir to combine. Your batter should be thick and sticky!
- Per the instructions of your pizzelle maker, make sure it is fully heated and ready to go. Place a spoonful of batter onto each pizzelle form and get started. You can decide how dark you want to make them, playing with the perfect timing on your pizzelle maker as you go along! This is part of the fun.
- Have a tray ready to place your pizzelle on as they come off the maker. It’s important that they cool and harden on a flat surface.
- Your pizzelle are not complete until they have been sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. It truly takes them to their final destination (AKA your mouth).
- Grab your favorite cookie tin (because you have so many) and store your pizzelle safely inside. If you don’t have a cookie tin, a plethora of other airtight things work here: bags, boxes, your purse, whatever!
- Do not sleep on making ice cream sandwiches out of your pizzelle—they are perfection!
Enjoy!
For information on how to store your cookies, head to Grossy’s Guide to Holiday Cookies.
1. This is a pizzelle maker. If you don’t have one, call your local Maria and ask her if you can borrow hers!
Mine is plugged in and heating up while we make our batter.
2. Grab a big bowl.
3. Add your wet ingredients to the bowl: 6 eggs, 2 sticks melted unsalted butterm, and 2 tablespoons liquid anise (or vanilla extract). Whisk to combine.
4. Add 3 ½ cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 ⅓ cups sugar to the bowl and stir to combine.
5. Your batter should be thick and sticky (just like me in my kitchen in August making these pizzelle)!
6. Per the instructions of your pizzelle maker, make sure it is fully heated and ready to go. Place a spoonful of better onto each pizzelle form and get started. You can decide how dark you want to make them, playing with the perfect timing on your pizzelle maker as you go along! This is part of the fun.
Have a tray ready to place your pizzelle on as they come off the maker. It’s important that they cool and harden on a flat surface.
7. Look at us! We are doing it. Notice how perfectly imperfect these gorgeous babies are! Like I always say: perfect doesn’t taste good!
8. Keep going until you have exhausted your batter and possibly yourself!
Sit and think about all the Italian goddesses before you who have made it through their pizzelle making journey with strength, determination, and love. Harness their powers and push through. You’re doing great, sweaty!
9. We did it! But we are not done yet!
10. Your pizzelle are not complete until they have been sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. It truly takes them to their final destination (AKA your mouth).
11 Grab your favorite cookie tin (because you have so many) and store your pizzelle safely inside.
If you don’t have a cookie tin, a plethora of other airtight things work here: bags, boxes, your purse, whatever!
12. Can we just talk about how gorgeous these are? The geometry of the pizzelle is so perfect, and the sprinkle of powdered sugar just sends me!
Do not sleep on making ice cream sandwiches out of your pizzelle—they are summertime perfection.
Enjoy!
