An easy Pizzelle recipe for the classic Italian cookie, lightly sweetened and flavored with vanilla or anise. All you need are 6 ingredients and 1 pizzelle maker!
I learned about Pizzelle from one of my best childhood friends. Her family made Pizzelle the traditional way, with an iron that had engraved plates and a clamp to hold it together.
Loosely translated, Pizzelle means “small, flat, and round” and that’s exactly what these cookies are.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Equipment and ingredient notes
- Pizzelle iron: Modern versions are just like a waffle maker: a silvery, shiny, beautiful waffle maker that makes cookies. I have this pizzelle iron (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link).
- Anise: Anise (black licorice) is a common flavor, or you can use vanilla or almond extract. For lemon, use 1 teaspoon lemon oil instead of lemon extract (lemon extract doesn’t have enough flavor).
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat pizzelle iron and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, anise or vanilla extract, baking powder, and eggs. Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter on to pizzelle iron and close.
- Bake as directed by manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a nonstick spatula, remove each pizzelle to a cooling rack; repeat with remaining batter. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 36 cookies, 12 servings of 3 cookies each.
- Rolled: While the pizzelle are still warm from the iron, wrap them around a wooden dowel. You can even fill them with sweetened ricotta for a mock cannoli.
- Bake sale: Pizzelle are ideal for a bake sale or cookie swap because they are rarer than the usual chocolate chip cookies or brownies, and they look so fantastic wrapped in a small plastic treat bag tied with a pretty bow.
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Pizzelle
An easy Pizzelle recipe for the classic Italian cookie, lightly sweetened and flavored with vanilla or anise. All you need are 6 ingredients and 1 pizzelle maker!
Equipment
- Pizzelle iron (see note 1)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon anise or vanilla extract (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat pizzelle iron and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, anise or vanilla extract, and baking powder. Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter on to pizzelle iron and close.
- Bake as directed by manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a nonstick spatula, remove each pizzelle to a cooling rack; repeat with remaining batter.
- Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Pizzelle iron: Modern versions are just like a waffle maker: a silvery, shiny, beautiful waffle maker that makes cookies. I have this pizzelle iron (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link).
- Anise: Anise (black licorice) is a common flavor, or you can use vanilla or almond extract. For lemon, use 1 teaspoon lemon oil instead of lemon extract (lemon extract doesn’t have enough flavor).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 36 cookies, 12 servings of 3 cookies each.
- Rolled: While the pizzelle are still warm from the iron, wrap them around a wooden dowel. You can even fill them with sweetened ricotta for a mock cannoli.
- Bake sale: Pizzelle are ideal for a bake sale or cookie swap because they are rarer than the usual chocolate chip cookies or brownies, and they look so fantastic wrapped in a small plastic treat bag tied with a pretty bow.
Nutrition
Serving: 3cookiesCalories: 88kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
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I fell in love with these cookies and then I found a Pizzelle maker in a free pile and it was on. I’ve tried several variations of the recipe but I am looking to make one slightly closer to the store bought ones I fell in love with. All the recipes I’ve tried results in a heavier denser cookie than what I know. the store bought ones are light and crispy and they often snap when I’m scooping whipped cream right out of the tub. Thats the cookie I want to duplicate. How can I tweak this recipe to achieve the result I’m looking for. I’m fairly new to baking and I know it’s more science than art and I’ve got a lot to learn. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my inquiry.
Hi Michele, to keep them crisp I would make sure the pizzelle maker has some time to recover its heat between batches. I would also recommend keeping them in an airtight container, as exposure to moisture will make them loose their crispiness. Hope this helps! – Meggan
After discarding an entire portion of dough from a different recipe, I gave these a try. I made some flat and I also rolled several to fill with a sweet cannoli filling. They turned out great. The texture was perfect. The only change I would make is to cut back on the flavoring amount. I made them with pure vanilla and the 1 tablespoon called for was quite overpowering. I have actually never seen this amount of flavoring called for in any recipe. It’s usually measured in teaspoons. Perhaps it’s a misprint?
Hi Melissa, I’m glad they turned out great! Sometimes some vanilla flavorings have different potencies depending on the quality of the vanilla extract used, such as using a generic extract over using a vanilla paste. If you are using a high quality vanilla, I would recommend using less and adding more to taste since they are more flavorful. I hope this helps! – Meggan
Amazing! Very easy to follow and perfect results. Thank u!!
I make these at least once a week for my mother. She loves them and so do we.
Hi Meggan, Would you have any suggestions as how to store pizzelles. I mean in an airtight container or a cookie tin. Thanks for any help you can give.
Hi Louise, I recommend storing them in an airtight container, for up to two weeks. If the moisture gets to them, they will lose their crispiness. Thanks and I hope you enjoy them! – Meggan
My husband loves you these little cookies! It’s one of the few sweets he asks me to make for him.
I am very excited to try this recipe. I have my aunts old iron. She just turned 92. I will use my new iron.
Hi Annemarie, I hope you enjoy them! :) – Meggan