Pizzelle

This pizzelle recipe creates light, crispy, and beautifully elegant Italian cookies every time. It'll quickly become a holiday season staple in your household.

What Are Pizzelles?

Pizzelles are thin Italian waffle cookies with a crisp texture. They're made with pizzelle irons and feature intricate designs. Pizzelle cookies, which are commonly served during the Christmas and Easter holidays, can be served flat or molded into shapes while they're still warm.

Pizzelle Ingredients

Believe it or not, you don't need a lot of ingredients to make this impressive pizzelle recipe. Here's what to add to your grocery list:

• Eggs: Eggs lend moisture and act as a binding agent, which means they help hold the dough together.
• Sugar: Sweeten things up with white sugar.
• Butter: You'll need a stick of melted butter.
• Vanilla: A tablespoon of vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor of the pizzelle cookies.
• Flour: All-purpose flour creates structure in the cookie dough.
• Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener, which means it helps the cookies rise slightly.
• Oil: Make sure to brush your pizzelle iron with vegetable oil to keep the cookies from sticking.

How to Make Pizzelles

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make these gorgeous pizzelles:

1. Beat the eggs and sugar, then stir in the butter and vanilla.
2. Add the flour and baking powder.
3. Spoon the batter onto the prepared pizzelle iron.
4. Close the iron and bake for 30-45 seconds.

How to Make Chocolate Pizzelles

You can also make chocolate pizzelles by making a few changes to this recipe. To make chocolate pizzelles:

1. Increase the sugar by another ¼ cup.
2. Add ¼ cup cocoa powder sifted together in the flour-baking powder mixture with an extra ¼ teaspoon baking powder

How to Store Pizzelles

Make sure the cookies are completely cool before storage. Place them in an airtight container or zip-top storage bag and store at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Can You Freeze Pizzelles?

Yes, you can freeze pizzelles. While they won't be quite as crisp as freshly baked cookies, they'll still be delicious! Arrange the cooled cookies on a baking sheet, cover, and flash freeze for a few hours or up to overnight. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bags and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"I have never made these before and enjoyed making them this morning," says juliekay. "I used vanilla and a very small amount of anise seeds. The flavor and texture was great. I look forward to trying making these cookies again."

I love this recipe," raves noelran9. "I can't wait to try some different variations people have suggested. I made them exactly as the recipe stated and they were perfect!"

"These were just outstanding and I have been eating these cookies my whole life," according to Lauren M. "I followed the recipe exactly the first time and the cookies came out light and crispy and so good. They were very easy to make even on my very old pizzelle iron."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams