Pizzelle

Ever since misplacing my original Pizzelle recipe, I've been on the lookout for a suitable substitute. While this one is a bit different, it's been requested as a 'cookie jar staple' by my husband ever since first tasting them at Christmastime. A few tips I've stumbled upon while making these: The recipe doubles easily (triple it and the batter gets stiffer as it sits). Fill a large pastry bag (or even a large zip-top baggie) with batter to squeeze desired amount onto iron (eliminates the sticky spoon-fingers situation). The vanilla is interchangeable with other extracts; I've tried almond, black walnut, lemon, orange and rum. Also, additions of nuts can be sprinkled on the raw batter just prior to baking; I've used sliced almonds with almond extract, pecans with rum extract and walnuts with black walnut extract. And yesterday I added a few mini chocolate chips to an orange-flavored batter. Delicious!

Good Recipe, exactly the same as the one that comes with the cuisinart Pizelle maker. I found using 4 Eggs versus 3 makes a better dough, not as thick, leading to more uniform cookie sizes.

I have used this recipe many, many times. When my son got married on July 8, 2006, he asked me if I would make a variety of pizzelles for the reception. I decided to experiment with this recipe and made dozens upon dozen of pizzelles in the following flavors: anise, vanilla, orange, and chocolate chocolate chip. For the anise and vanilla flavors I followed the recipe exactly. For the orange pizzelles, I used orange flavoring instead of the anise/vanilla and also added some orange zest. For the chocolate chocolate chip, I followed the recipe for the chocolate pizzelles and added mini chocolate chips. (I had to add more flour to this batter to get it to cook properly.) All of the pizzelles were a HUGE hit at the reception and now I have people begging me to make pizzelles for them. Thanks for the great recipe, Marianne. I can't wait to experiment with even more flavors.

This was a delicious recipe. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt and used the vanilla. After I took the pizzelles off the griddle, I imediately shaped them into aa cup using the base of a glass as a mold. This must be done as soon as they are removed when they are still soft. I then filled them with strawberries and cream just before serving. They were an instant favorite.

This is the best pizzelle recipe I've come across! At first I was a little worried, as the batter seemed quite thick. But they came out just perfect! I even added an extra tablespoon of vanilla. They are a big hit everywhere I take them. *Be sure to keep them in an airtight container so they stay crisp! :)

I received a Pizzelle iron for Christmas. I owned a bakery and experimented with a variety of nontraditional flavorings and have been threatened to be disavowed due to my departure from traditional Anise and Almond. Since I have found other cookie irons identical to Pizzelle irons claiming to be German and Swedish I just tell my in-laws I am following my northern European ancestry. I encourage all of you to experiment. These are some of the different flavors I have developed with very good results. Sorry -I don't write down my measurements on these flavor additives. When using Cocoa powder I always add more white sugar. Anise - both Anise extract and Anise seed. Almond - Almond extract and or Amaretto. Orange Rum - Orange rind and rum extract or orange emulsion also Bourbon or Brandy Extract. Lemon - Lemon rind and lemon extract or lemon emulsion. Gingerbread - molasses, ginger, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Mocha - Cocoa powder and coffee extract or espresso grind. Chocolate Black Walnut - Cocoa powder and black walnut ground fine or Black Walnut Extract. Pistachio - Pistachio ground fine in food processor or coffee grinder and or Pistachio extract. Hazelnut - Hazelnut ground fine and Hazelnut extract or Frangelico. Nutello - Cocoa powder, Hazelnut ground fine and hazelnut extract. Coconut - Coconut ground fine and or Coconut extract. Chocolate Coconut - Cocoa Powder, ground fine coconut or coconut extract. Hope I have inspired.

I always make pizzelles at Christmas and was in the mood to try a different recipe. These were amazing. I make different flavors, so, instead of the vanilla, used lemon in a batch, lemon lime in another, anise in another and orange in yet another. These are so easy and fabulous!

this recipe was a flop...I spent over one hour attempting to create 1 pizzelle. The flavor/taste was great as a ball of fried dough. But, I couldn't form 1 until I added Milk to the recipe. I was very frustrated. At that point i realized that i could get them to turn out and i added additional milk...I then experienced little problems. But, gee the frustration until that point. Had this ingredient accidentally been omitted?

These were really good! I haven't really had pizzelles before, but I was given a pizzelle iron recently so I thought I'd make some. We formed the cookies over an upside down bowl while they were really hot and then used them for ice cream bowls/cones. Everyone really liked them. I'm trying the chocolate version tonight.

I haven't made pizzelles for many years so I looked for the perfect recipe. I read all the ones on this site as well as others on the Internet. I selected this one and really laughed when I discovered the one in my old Pizzelle Master machine box is the same. It is perfect. The batter is thick but I found no need to thin it. I used a heaping teaspoonful and placed it slightly off-center closer to the back hinges to get them to be completely round without excess batter spreading outside the mold. We all enjoyed them.

I tried this recipe a few days ago, and I thought they were very good. However, they browned unevenly and had an off taste because of it. I read somewhere that oil browns better than butter, so the next time I make these I will substitute the butter with oil. The texture was a little funny, it wasn't like the texture of pizzelles I've had before. I also thought these pizzelles came out very sweet. This could have been due to the fact that I really like the taste of anise and wanted that to be the strongest flavor, not the sweetness of the sugar. I will try this recipe again, reducing the amount of sugar and exchanging the butter with oil.

We made the chocolate version and rolled them into cones after cooking on my Krumkaka Iron. We used them as ice cream cones and the kids just thought it was the best.

This review comes along with a little story. I was introduced to Pizzelles by one my dearest friends. As the daughter of Italian immigrants, she knows all about this delicate, and delicious treat. According to her, this recipe is the real deal! "These taste just like my godmother's...God rest her soul". I guess that pretty much says it all. If my "adopted" Italian grandma gives this recipe 5 stars, then you can best believe thst it's worth the time and effort !!

Same recipe I use every year. The only change I make is to whip the egg and sugar until very frothy. This seems to make the cookies very light. Just remember to not beat the batter too much if you want light and delicate cookies.

I made this 3X in one day. It is a very different batter as previously said, but nevertheless, it makes a crisp tasty pizzelle, sweeter when using the butter. I did try one batch with oil, as I'm used to, but it stuck to my machine and I was not happy with that, nor with the taste. Butter is best!

This recipe is great. Actually, it is identical to many pizzele recipes out there. There are a couple details that are missing from it though...C hill the "batter" for a few hours before cooking it. This makes it way easier to scoop out the perfect amount with a spoon. Making pizzele can sometimes seem daunting especially around the holidays when you are baking a million other cookies. In the past I have made this dough a few days ahead, so it is sitting in the fridge ready for me whenever i have some free time to cook them! The recipe is not super sweet because it is traditional to dust them with powdered sugar after they have cooled. This obviously make them sweeter, but also enhances whatever flavoring your have added.

We've always had these in our family at Christmas but only the anise flavored ones. I usually use my Gran's recipe but my husband wanted the chocolate ones so I found this recipe. I used it for the anise ones, too, and they are perfect! The only thing I do different is still use the vanilla even when making the anise ones. It seems to lift the flavor of the entire cookie.

I followed the recipie exactly and these came out perfectly. Nice and crispy and not too sweet. I used my Italian mother's ANCIENT pizzelle iron to make them...so many good memories!!

Made Pizzelles for the first time today using this recipe. My batter was thick (may have sat too long) and the first cookies out were pretty thick. I thinned the batter with milk & cream and added cardamon. The resulting pizzelles are much to our liking, reminding us of Krumkake. Next time I will use the suggestion to put the batter in a pastry bag.

I made these today - a 1/2 batch of plain & a 1/2 batch of chocolate. The chocolate batter was a good bit thicker to work with than the plain, but both resulted in a nice Pizzelle. I realized that to be Pizzelle successful, you have to find a technique that jives with your iron (some get hotter than others, some have deeper wells, the weight of the top (lid) varies among different models, etc.) and how you like your finished cookie (thin, thick, crispy, soft.) Also, how much batter you use per cookie depends on the consitency of the batter, the depth of the wells & the heaviness of your lid. Here's what I do to get a relatively thick, but crispy cookie. I drop my batter onto the iron, slightly spread it around & wait a few seconds before closing the iron, giving it a little time to cook. Then I sllllowly lower the lid, applying a little more pressure as the cookie is cooking. I've found that by doing this, you'll have a thicker cookie however, the cooking time will be slightly extended in order to fully cook the cookie. Removing them the iron too soon will result in a soft cookie, which isn't my thing when it comes to Pizzelles - I want crisp. Finally, I like to experiment with different flavored extracts (orange, banana, coconut, lemon, almond, obviously Anise) as well mixing/swirling the batters on the iron (for example, chocolate & banana or almond & orange) and lightly tinting the batter to match the flavor (orange for orange, yellow for lemon, etc.) Very yummy recipe!

Brought back a lot of childhood memories. These pizzelles are perfect, just the way the recipe is written. My family is Italian and we used anise, but I prefer vanilla. My aunt used to layer Nutella between two pizzelle and that is perfection!

Though it is a very traditional recipe it is a great one! I found that for higher elevations, it takes almost a 1/2 c. additional flour to gain the correct consistency. More flour meant more flavoring. We made 4 double batches this afternoon . . . lots of fun with my mother-in-law and three daughters!

Unfortunately, I've made many pizzelles in my day and this recipe was a bummer. My iron was the ideal temp and I followed the instructions, but then I had to tweak the proportions on everything until it was right. Basically, too much baking powder, 1 egg too many, not enough butter... There are some much better recipes to try. Sorry, but I gots to be honest y'all.

I made these last night, exact to the the recipe. I used my pampered chef cookie scoop to scoop and release the dough onto the pizzelle maker. It worked like a charm. We added some powdered sugar once cool, and all I can say is Yummy! Thanks for posting!!

This is the VERY BEST recipe I've found for Pizzelles! The pizzelles turned out perfectly - crisp and delicious! I did adjust the recipe just a bit to suit my family's taste. I added 1/4 teaspoon of Almond Extract (in addition to the 1 TBSP of Vanilla Extract that is in the recipe).

This recipe is awesome! I just made it last weekend and I received nothing but compliments on how good they tasted. In fact, they were so good that they're all gone and I have been asked to make another batch this weekend. Some tips I followed: It was suggested to use 4 eggs; I did it and don't regret it for a second. Also, pouring the batter into a plastic bag and snipping the corner was pure genius!!! I will be doing that again this weekend. Once I am comfortable with making these I will start experimenting with other flavors...I can only hope they taste as delicious as the original recipe!

Perfect Pizzelles! I don't know how anyone could have trouble with this recipe, I have used it for years. You can also replace the vanilla or anise with Amaretto, spiced rum, or butter scotch liquer.

Excellent recipe..Just like my Great-Gram from Italy used to make! Thanks!!

Just made these for the first time this afternoon and they are delicious! I was leery of the vanilla instead of anise but shouldn't have been! Thank you.

Last year I vowed NEVER to make these again. They are wonderful to eat & horrible to make. However, after I read one persons review. They suggested putting the batter in a bag. Now they are the easiest cookie to make. We LOVE them! So good we sooooo many things! =)

Just made these for the first time ever. Very easy recipe and they are delicious. I used 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tsp anise extract. Very good. Next time I'll use all anise.

This recipe worked perfectly in my new Cuisinart Pizzelle Press. The only thing I did different was to add an extra tablespoon of vanilla as mentioned by another reviewer.

I made these for the first time, and thought they were pretty good. About halfway thru cooking them I added anise flavoring, and thought that the anise-flavored ones were much better. Make sure you package them in air-tight bags - I made these on Sunday, and its Thursday, and they are still nicely crisp.

Made pizzelles for the first time today. Used this recipe which happened to be the same exact recipe that came with my pizzelle maker. As a first timer I thought the batter seemed a little thick but they came out perfect. Next time I make them I will try some of the suggestion for different flavors. Great, easy recipe. I loved them.

So extremely yummy. I don't have a pizzelle iron but I do have a waffle cone baker. I made the regular vanilla recipe and turned those into waffle cones (I got 11 waffle cones from one recipe). I also make the chocolate version and used my small cookie scoop so they'd be about pizzelle size and got oodles of them, not a strong chocolate taste but DH loved making ice cream sandwiches with them.

I made these last year and had no trouble at all. However this year I found, as others did, that the batter was too thick and the pizzelles browned too much. I will probably try these again but be very careful to add LESS flour - you can't thin the batter with water or milk.

I just made this recipe and it turned out pretty good. I did have to add another 1+T of vanilla though to make it taste like vanilla. Otherwise they tasted like nothing. I really am not sure how much vanilla I ended up putting in them. I made it with 1T and mae a few pizzelles and added another T and that still didn't seem quite enough, so, I only had a little left in my bottle so I just poured it in. I still think it could've used just a bit more. I usually make anise flavor, but am completely out. :( They are not very crisp though, maybe cause of the extra vanilla??? I don't know. They were crisp when I made them and now 2 hours later, they are sort of crispy. Maybe I needed to cook them longer. I'll have to keep playing with the recipe another time. Next time I will do anise and see how they turn out. Better than the last recipe I tried though and really easy.

This is the same recipe than came with my pizzelle maker. I've made it twice and they turn out nicely. I've tried different flavorings, I used almond once and the other time 1/2 tbsp vanilla and 1/2 tbsp anise. I can't wait to try them with more flavor combos. They keep well in tupperware container.

This is a good recipe. Very easy (dough) to make. I wasnt getting "nice" looking cookies-too much or too little. I ended up loading my Pampered Chef decorator(the nifty tool used to decorate cakes with icing, etc) and pumping a bit of dough in the middle of my iron-much easier and less messy to get the dough on the iron. Thanks!

nice flavor easy to work with the dough one of the tricks it to use a good high quality vanilla extract not the fake stuff that comes in the little plastic bot.

This was very easy and very, very good. I think my KIDS will even be able to follow this recipe. BTW, the family gobbled down the batch we made yesterday; I'll be making another batch today. :)

These were great! I made the chocolate ones and everyone loved them. Will definetly make them again.

When I made the chocolate version, I used a Ghirardelli's Chocolate Hazelnut Cocoa. Every Pizzelle turned out perfect. The hazelnut flavor was subtle and an excellant accent. I also made a regular batch using anise flavoring instead of vanilla but the batter was difficult to work with (I discarded it and made a second batch thinking I had done something wrong - but the second batch was the same). The pizzelles were so popular at work - and the hazelnut cocoa pizzelles went quickly. I am giving this recipe 5 stars for the optional chocolate recipe. I have been asked to bring it again next year!

My grandmother always had pizzelles in her house. Since she passed no one had made them. I made them for Easter (this recipe). They were delicious and brought a smile to my Grandpa's face. Thank you

easy, husband claims too eggy tasting. He grew up with them, new to me. added some neon purple food coloring....pretty cool!

This is a wonderful recipe! It's easy to make and it works in my maker! I have used other recipes that just stick amd make a mess. I used cinnamon in this recipe too and my family loves them!!

I grew up with Pizzelles at Christmas Time however the recipe that was passed down to me you had to guess at the flour that was needed. This recipe made it very simple. I rated this recipe 5 stars because this recipe was just like my Mothers. Thank You & Merry Christmas......

I followed this recipe exact and my first two rounds of pizzelles came out very thick and didn't crisp up. I thinned out the batter a bit with some milk and they progressively got better, but I think this batter is way too thick. The flavor is great and tastes just like my grandmas, but I think I will substitute oil for the butter and use a little less flour and baking powder on my next attempt.

They came out great! Will make them again!!

I love making pizzelles at Cristmastime. They are so quick and easy to whip up and bake. And this is one of the best recipes I have found. I'm not fond of anise so I enjoy experimenting with different flavor variations. I doubled the recipe and along with the 2 tbsp. of vanilla, I also added 1 tbsp. of almond extract (one of my favorite flavors). I've also tried orange extract and added orange zest to the batter - DELICIOUS! I personally like to bake them longer also.

Very good and EASY! We made both the regular and the chocolate - the chocolate are our favorite! Thank you!

This is a great recipe. However You should make pizzells on a non humid day and store them so the humidity can't get to them. Also you can make the dough easier to work by putting it in the refrigator for a while and working it in small batches. This recipe is not very kid friendly due to the fact that you have to use a very hot iron.

great recipe...exactly the one that came with my pizzelle maker. only gave 3 stars as they still don't taste like grandma's.

Fab recipe. made it exactly as is with a hand mixer. made 24 pizzelle (+2 to prime the maker). Had a really delicious vanilla flavor.

This was my first time making pizzelles, and they were delicious! I made them for a get together, and they were a big hit. Being in the south, the native northerners seemed to like the northern treat :).

My family thought these cookies were great! I had never made them before, but bought an electric pizzelle iron at a thrift store and needed an easy recipe. This was it! They were delicious. The $4.50 I spent on the hardly used iron was so worth it! I also added some anise flavoring to some of the batter and that was great too! Now I want to try a little orange flavoring!

I found this recipe to be just perfect with my pizzelle baker. My best friend/roommate in college got these from her elderly neighbor and I fell in love (I'd never heard of them before that). My mom ended up buying me the maker and I've used it occasionally since. Well, for Christmas, I really wanted some this year. I completely agree with using a ziploc or similar bag as a pastry bag. Just put the batter in it, cut off a small piece of the corner with scissors, and pipe the batter onto the iron. MUCH less messy than I remember, plus it's a lot faster. The two tips I can add are these: use different flavorings, as they really can add a lot to variety to your pizzelles. My favorites are orange and raspberry. Yesterday, I went with orange and replaced 1/2 the vanilla with orange extract. Next time I might do a little extra orange, but they were quite good. My other tip is to use a little food coloring if you want to make several flavors. For example, I add a drop of red and a couple drops of yellow to make orange ones with the orange flavor. I add red with the raspberry, and yellow with lemon. It adds a visual element, plus it helps me tell them apart.

So easy for a first time prizzelle maker. Used the tip from another reviewer and put my batter in a frosting bag made it Easy Peasy! Thanks for the recipe and all the wonderful rewiews. They made this recipe an easy choice.

Just finished making these pizzelles and they turned out pretty good! I added an extra tablespoon of vanilla, and it could of benefited from even one more. Putting oil on my press gave it a bad taste. Maybe it's because mine is newer, but its doesn't need to be oiled.

this is very good my nanny used to make pizzelles and when she passed away i lost the recipe for it this is the closest i found to hers thank you for making the recipe possible

it is a excellent recipe....i have been using this recipe for over 30 years. It depends on the pizelle maker also. I have 3 pizelle makers and always use this recipe. I never need to oil the maker. I mostly use vanilla. Tried choc chips once and they melted on the iron. thanks

Great recipe! I had no problems. Took me back a lot of years to when my grandmother and mother made them.

The best pizzelles I ever tasted. Thanks for sharing!

Great recipe. I wanted to try it because it uses far fewer eggs than my old recipe, but I was worried it would be too think. I was wrong. The consistency feels different to cook with but the final product comes out just great.

My Italian grandmother's rule is to always double the vanilla to any recipe, which I did. I also added 1 tsp. of almond extract and zest of orange. Amazing, crisp, delicious!

I love this recipe! I can't wait to try some different variations people have suggested. I made them exactly as the recipe stated and they were perfect!

First time making pizzelles. My 13 year old daughter and I used grandma's electric maker, with this recipe, for Heritage Foods Night with her youth group. Realized we didn't have anise oil and used 1tsp of almond extract and 1tsp of vanilla. Followed the directions and tested cooking time with our maker (45 seconds). Very flavorful and crisp results. One note, the batter was almost a frosting like consistency. Not sure if that was correct, but the outcome was a winner. Now my daughter wants to make them again for her birthday next month. She's planning on making pizzelle ice cream sandwiches.

I always make the Italian Pizzelles with anise, but decided to try the chocolate ones. These were great. Tasted just like brownie batter. My kids thought these were delicious.

Delicious. I used a spoon and it worked fine. I made the vanilla ones, then halfway thru added the cocoa powder, some chocolate chips I chopped finely into bits, and a pinch more baking powder. They were yummy! Tough to stop eating I have to say. These will be impressive at a function, I will make them again for people with confidence.

Meh. Not a lot of flavor or sweetness. I added another 1/2 c of sugar and 1T vanilla; still not great. Maybe this is my prejudice--I prefer pizzelles with anise oil.

great recipe......doesnt stick and great consistency

these cookies were awesome!!! they came out perfect!

Was looking for something to make and gave this a try.OMG, so good.......may use this for a holiday cookie swap.

I love this recipe!!! The pizzelles turned out perfect. The anise gives it the perfect flavor.

A group of us were giving a bridal shower at school and decided on a sundae bar. I used my pizzelle maker to create 4 delicious flavors of ice cream bowls, made like waffle cones bowls, creating 105 bowls. This review is for the ‘Italian Pizzelles’ – chocolate flavored. The batter for this held up very well when making the bowls. It was a thicker batter and held the ice cream best. I got 29 cookies from this recipe and it took 40 seconds per batch. The other recipes were: ‘Pizzelles II’ ‘Pizzelles III’ and a personal recipe from ‘What’s for dinner, mom?.’

Did it the first time and it was a hit. Made it with my 8 year old daughter and I had so much fun cooking with her. Its a very easy recipe to follow.

I doubled the recipe, added an extra egg, also added some almond extract along with the vanilla, used half white whole wheat and half whole wheat pastry flour, and ended up with a nice, nutty flavor. Using whole wheat flour made the guilt of all that butter seem a little easier to take.

Perfect Pizzelles!!! I use 4 eggs instead of 3 eggs it makes a thinner crispier pizzelles!

I wanted to make some pizzelles, but I could not find the "family" recipe. These pizzelles came out excellent.....no-one knew the difference!! I made some with vanilla and some with almond flavoring. Yum !!

Yummy. I used anise flavoring rather than vanilla. I sprinkled the finished product with a little 10x sugar.

Followed the instructions to add cocoa and loved it! The chocolate flavor is very mellow.

Excellent recipe. We tried some varieties to suit our tastes. Cinnamon and vanilla was good, but my granddaughters favorite was lemon peel and poppyseed. 1 tsp of dehydrated lemon peel and 1 tsp of poppyseed.

This was my first time making Pizzelles, I made the chocolate and it was easy and fast and everyone thought they were good. I did add a little more vanilla. Added this recipe to one of my favorites.

I've made these from my Italian grandma ma's recipe tho not the same as this one and I can't get enuff of them. Bueno.

Made the chocolate ones. Great, will make again.

this recipe was not that good and i am not happy with it at all!!!!!

Delicious and didn't stick to my pizzelle-maker like other recipes have.

The absolute best. Now my family wants these all the time but I am limiting them to holidays so they will always be special.

Great dough, not too thick or thin. Worked well with my electric pizzelle press. Made vanilla, chocolate, and traditional anise flavored versions and each had a good flavor. Def. recommend using this recipe!

These cookies were very good. I used walnuts instead of pecans and everyone loved them.

I. Love. This. Recipe! It was perfect and super easy to make. My son has an egg allergy so I will be trying it with egg replacer the next time I make it and non dairy margarine. I added orange peel and anise seeds for a light added flavor and it was a win in my house. Thank you!

Good cookies. Reminds me of Christmas as a child. I think I would like a stronger anise flavor though.

I added 1 tsp. almond extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla, they were yummy. Took exactly 40 seconds in the iron.

Just like my grandma's recipe!

This was the first time that I had ever made pizzelles and they were delicious. I could not believe how easy this recipe was.

Awesome recipe! I've officially retired my grandmother's recipe for this one - they are THAT good!!!

Turned out delicious! I was worried that they wouldn't turn out because the batter was pretty thick (almost like a dough) but they were great! I also added some cocoa powder to half of the batter to make chocolate pizzelles and those were yummy as well. Highly recommend.

I hope you have the patience to read this whole review, it may help you avoid my mistakes.... I gave it 5 stars to be fair to the writer of the 'poster of the recipe' & will definitely make again. I'm going to make this suggestion / offer this tip before I go any further....test your iron / batter / timing with 1 or 2 cookies....you won't learn the hard way. With that being said.... My iron is used (not sure how old it is & didn't come with a manual) and didn't cook evenly or according (time wise) to the instructions I found online for it. The batter was perfect consistency, like the description with this recipe. I also added some anise extract as recommended by a friend but didn't add enough it turns out. As for the taste I should've tasted the batter rather than go by the smell. I also should've made just 1 or 2 to see how the iron would work & how they tasted. But I kept on & on hoping they'd get better with each press....they didn't. Overall cookies were good with the ones that came out brown & crunchy. They had a good (not great) taste & texture to them. I will definitely try this again & follow the directions but like other reviews I plan to experiment with flavors.

The dough was a bit thick, but the cookies were light, crisp, and tasty.