Italian Christmas tradition – Pizzelles

Well here we are, it’s the end of 2020, wasn’t January of 2019 just the other day? It seems that the years just fly by with each birthday.  Going through my cookie recipes the other day, a memory surfaced, it’s the story of my pizzelle iron.

You might ask, “What is a Pizzelle?” It is a wafer like cookie, made with a waffle like iron. It is believed that Pizzelles where first made in the Abruzzo region of south-central Italy during ancient times. The name comes from the Italian word for round and flat.  In the early days, the cookies were made with an iron and baked over an open fire. The irons were forged for the women by the blacksmiths and embossed with different designs, often with the family crest, becoming an heirloom.

Today the pizzelle iron is electric and operates much like a waffle iron, but the cookies come out flat. Traditionally they are made for holidays or celebrations and can be made in a variety of flavors. I wanted a pizzelle iron because you can whip up a batch of cookies on short notice if unexpected company stops over for a visit.

I had only been married a few years, when I happened to mention that I wanted a pizzelle iron. My father decided to buy me one for Christmas. Back then if you were looking for an Italian cooking items you when to Enterprise Hardware Store on Federal Hill. That’s where my father bought our pasta machine too!  I was so excited to have my very own Pizzelle iron, and I experimented with several recipes.

Then one fateful day, my phone rang, and it was my mother. She was in a panic, as she was making Pizzelles, her iron suddenly died, and company was coming. She asked to borrow my iron. So I packed up my iron and went to her rescue! I’m not quite sure what year that was, but it was before 1983.  She made many batches of Pizzelles in the ensuing years.  It wasn’t until we were cleaning out her apartment in 2014 that the pizzelle iron came home with me. So, in honor of my mother’s memory I present the basic recipe for Pizzelles.

Traditional Italian Pizzelle

3 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon anise extract or anisette
1 3/4 cups flour

 In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Stir in the melted butter and anise and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and blend into the batter until smooth. 

Heat the pizzelle iron, and brush with oil. Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto each circle on the iron. You may need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time depending on the iron.

Bake for 20 to 45 seconds or until steam is no longer coming out of the iron. Carefully remove cookies from the iron. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.