Crispy Italian Pizzelle Cookies

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The first time I tasted a Pizzelle, I fell in love with the light, crispy cookie. They have a lovely design, practically melt in your mouth, and are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

(Post modified on 8/31/23.)

What are Pizzelles? Pizzelle comes from the Italian word ‘Pizze’ which means round and flat. And “elle”, which means small. These small, round, and flat sugar cookies are made with a special iron that gives them a pretty design. Kind of like a waffle maker, only thinner. Then they are often finished off with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

My mother-in-law made these cookies long ago, and has since made them at Christmas. This past year, I bought a Palmer Electric Iron so I could make these cookies for myself. I have to say, they are so easy to prepare and take little time or effort. Plus, I think they would make wonderful ice cream cones, or even cannoli shells with a just a bit of shape-forming.

I have since seen a Nordic Ware Pizzelle Iron that you can put on a gas range, which I think would be really nice to use, as well. (And it’s less expensive than the Palmer brand.)

 

More Italian Cookies to Enjoy

• Glazed Lemon Biscotti
• Double-Chocolate Biscotti with Almonds
• Cherry Pistachio Biscotti Cookies
• Homemade Cannoli with Creamy Ricotta

 

Ingredients for Crispy Italian Pizzelle Cookies

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

• melted butter
• large eggs
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• Princess Flavoring Emulsion
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt

 

Instructions for Making This Recipe

Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

 

Prepare the Batter

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Allow it to return to room temperature.

In a large bowl, whisk the large eggs until golden and creamy.

You may do this by hand or with your mixer. Sometimes, I like to make this recipe by hand mixing, but it will give your arms a workout!

Add in granulated sugar and whisk together until smooth.

Whisk in the vanilla extract, the Princess Flavoring Emulsion, and the melted butter to blend.

In a small bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture to incorporate.

 

Make the Cookies

Heat the pizzelle iron according to manufacturers directions. This may take 15 minutes or more.

Spoon a large tablespoon of dough onto the designated cookie area. Close the lid and cook for 35-50 seconds, depending on how dark and crispy you like them.

This cooking process goes quickly. Feel free to check the cookie to see if it has reached the desired darkness once you reach 35 seconds. All irons will cook a little bit differently, so you’ll just have to practice a few times to see how long it takes. I encourage you to use your phone or a timer to clock the 35 seconds. After the first few tries, you’ll know how long to cook your Pizzelles. 

Using a fork, remove the cookie from the hot iron and place cookies on a large baking sheet or wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The cookies are quite pliable when they come off the iron, so this is when you would roll them into ice cream cones or cannoli, using a special roller.

Repeat until all of the cookie batter is gone. This recipe will make 20-24 cookies.

Serve these light and crisp sugar cookies with your favorite tea or coffee. Store extras in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Browse more Cookie Recipes Here. See more Italian Food Ideas Here.  View Tea Party Ideas Here. 

 

 

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