m. c. de marco: The New Kitchen Cookbook

Pizzelles

watercolor pizzelles

This is close to the recipe that came with my original iron (which has long since burned out), except for using oil in place of butter. I found the oil version on the Villaware web site back when they made pizzelle irons. My current iron is from Palmer.

pizzelle iron

Virginia Dare makes anise oil. Two teaspoons is a LOT of anise oil. You may want to cut back when serving non-Italians.

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 ½ c. sugar
  • 1 c. pure olive oil
  • 2 tsp. anise oil (or 2 T. anise extract)
  • 3 ½ c. flour
  • 4 tsp. baking powder

Directions

  1. Plug in pizzelle iron. Grease and heat according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  2. Beat eggs.
  3. Beat in sugar.
  4. Add oil and anise.
  5. Mix baking powder in with the flour. Gradually add it all to the dough. pizzelle dough
  6. When the iron is ready, drop a scoop of dough per cookie in the center of the pattern. pizzelle iron loaded
  7. Close and bake 30 seconds each or until the steam stops.
  8. Open and remove cookies with a spatula. pizzelle iron done

If dough squeezes out the sides of the iron, you’ve used too much. Be sure to scrape it off (because it doesn’t get cooked). Too little dough will make seasonal snowflakey edges; it won’t harm the cookie any.

If you experience sticking issues, unstick any crumbs with a toothpick and regrease.

Variants

See Pizzelles by the Egg for variants.