Italian Pizzelles

A close up overhead image of a pizzelle cookie on top of other ones.

These Italian pizzelles are the classic Christmas cookies we all know and love. They're super easy to make with a light and slightly crisp texture you won't be able to get enough of! Prepped and ready in 30 minutes total.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Diet Low Salt

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings cookies

Calories 65kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups butter (2 ½ sticks)
6 eggs
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract or anise extract
3 ¼ cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
Confectioner's sugar for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove and set aside to cool.
Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
While the butter cools, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla or anise extract until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add a small amount of the butter to the batter and mix it well and then slowly add butter more while mixing until well combined to prevent the butter from cooking the egg.
Add flour and baking powder mixture to the batter and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides.
Dip a folded paper towel into a very small amount of vegetable oil and carefully rub it over the pizzelle iron. Close the iron and heat fully.
Once heated, place a 1-2 teaspoons of batter around the middle of each cookie press on the iron and quickly spread it slightly. Every machine is different, so it'll be around a couple teaspoons of batter into each cookie part of the iron and after the first couple cookies, you'll figure out the best amount.
Once the batter is in, close the iron tightly and keep it closed for around 30 seconds to a minute. Again, this will vary by machine, but you want the cookies to be just starting to get a tiny bit golden and the steam begins to slow.
Using a small fork, carefully remove the cookies and place them on a cooling rack with parchment underneath in a single layer until fully cooled. The cookies will be soft at first but will harden a bit once they've been sitting for a few minutes.
Serve immediately or store in a cardboard clothing gift box at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Video

Notes

Add the warm butter slowly. This is called "tempering" the batter and prevents the hot liquid from cooking the eggs. If you do find that you've scrambled the eggs, don't worry. Just run the batter through a strainer to remove the chunks

To grease the pizzelle iron, I put a small amount of vegetable oil onto a folded paper towel and carefully rub it all over before heating. You don't need much. The first cookie or two may be a tiny bit greasier than the others, but then they'll be good.

Don't skip the preheat. This is crucial for getting that crispy texture! Allow your pizzelle iron to heat while you prepare my pizzelle recipe so it is fully heated before adding the batter.

Every pizzelle maker is different. You'll need around 1-2 teaspoons of batter for each cookie part of the iron. After the first couple of cookies, you'll figure out the best amount.

I place the batter in the middle of each cookie iron, or slightly above the middle, and carefully and quickly spread it a little bit. Once the batter is in, close it and keep it closed for around 30 seconds to a minute. Again, this will vary by machine, but you want the cookies just a touch golden.

Keep your eyes on the steam- After around 10 seconds, you'll start to see steam coming from the machine- this is good! It means the pizzelles are cooking. Once the steam starts to slow down, check it for doneness.

Use a small fork to remove the cookies. Do so carefully and place them on a cooling rack with parchment underneath. The texture may be soft at first but will harden a bit once the cookies have been sitting for a few minutes. Don't stack them until cool or they won't harden up as nicely. Just leave them alone and let them do their thing.

Ingredients to prep ahead- You can make the batter for this pizzelle cookie recipe up to 1 day in advance if you'd like to get ahead on party prep. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Or you can just make the cookies ahead.

Leftovers and storage- We usually store ours in the cardboard gift boxes that you would put clothing in before wrapping it. Be sure you don't stack them until they're cooled completely. Pizzelles will keep for up to two weeks at room temperature.

Nutrition