Pizzelle are thin, crisp Italian cookies made with a special cookie iron. They're lightly sweetened, flavored with anise, and perfect for making and gifting, especially around the holidays! Recipe includes a how-to video!
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugars until lightened in color (about 15-30 seconds). While still stirring, drizzle in butter until combined and then stir in extracts. Set aside.
3 large eggs, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 10 Tablespoons melted butter, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoon anise extract, (optional, see note 2)
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until smooth.
Set mixture aside. Plug in/turn on iron and use a pastry brush to very lightly coat the inside of the iron with a small amount of oil (you won’t use all of the oil). Let iron heat until hot, typically around 5-10 minutes. The batter for the pizzelles will thicken a bit as it sits.
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
Drop a heaping 1 ½ Tablespoon (see note 3) of batter into each iron pattern, keeping the dough centered but toward the back/hinges of the iron.
Slowly and carefully close the iron, clipping it shut (if yours has a clip!). Be careful, there is usually steam! Keep in mind the first pizzelle is usually a messy dud, use this as a gauge for how much batter to use and how long it takes to make the cookies golden brown, your second set is almost guaranteed to come out much better!
Bake until golden brown. For my iron this is usually 45 seconds (your manual may indicate how long it will take if you have a different iron). Carefully use a fork or nonstick spatula to remove pizzelle to cooling rack to cool completely (pizzelle will be fragile and flexible while warm).
If desired, sift powdered sugar over the pizzelle after they've cooled.
powdered sugar
Video
Notes
1) Brown sugar:
I prefer my pizzelles to be a bit sweeter than traditional ones, so I like to add brown sugar. However, you can omit it for slightly less sweet results without any other changes to the recipe.
2) Anise:
Anise is the traditional flavor used for pizzelle. It tastes like black licorice (though I don't find it to be over-bearing, I don't personally like black licorice but I do love pizzelle). You can leave this out entirely or you can substitute your favorite flavor. You may not need as much extract if using a different flavor! For example, almond and peppermint extracts are very potent and ¼-1/2 teaspoon would most likely be plenty for this recipe!
3) Batter scoop size:
This is the amount of batter that I need for my Palmer pizzelle iron (linked to in the “Equipment” section above. Your iron may be larger or smaller so you may need more or less batter, use the first two cookies as a test!
Storing:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen for several months.
Making Batter in Advance:
The batter can be made and stored (covered) in the fridge for 2-3 days before using.