Pizzelle Recipe (Classic Italian Waffle Cookies) (2024)

FAQs

What is the original flavor of pizzelles? ›

Although Anise (Black licorice) is the “traditional” flavor of the pizzelle, modern options include vanilla, peppermint, anisette, lemon and chocolate but there are countless recipes and flavor combinations for this humble Italian cookie.

Pizzelles should be crunchy! They're a thin, light, crispy cookie. If your pizelles are soft, it means they have absorbed moisture from the air or they weren't cooked enough.

As far as the fat used in pizzelle, some recipes will call for oil, others margarine, lard or Crisco. But having tried other fats, I always return to unsalted butter. They crisp up nicely, don't have an oily aftertaste, and cook to perfection in their special pizzelle press.

Pizzelle are also known as ferratelle or nevole in some parts of Abruzzo, as ferratelle in Lazio, and as ferratelle, cancelle, or pizzelle in Molise.

Also known by the names ferratelle or cancelle, pizzelle means little pizza and comes from the Italian word “pizze,” meaning round or flat.

Our Top Pick: CucinaPro Pizzelle Baker

For the pizzelle traditionalist, it's also available in a polished stainless steel interior. We love that it has a steam guard and cool-touch handles, so you don't have to worry about burning your hands. There is also a clamp on the end of the handles to keep the batter level.

If you have access to an oven, preheat it to 300 degrees. Stack the cookies on a sheet pan and place in the oven, then turn the oven off. Let cookies remain in warm oven for an hour or longer to dry out. This should help return some of the crispiness to the pizzelles.

Oil - it could very well be that modern pizzelle makers are so "nonstick" that you do not need to use any cooking spray. Am noting here that when you research recipes, you may encounter a debate about whether or not to use oil or butter. For years our family uses a light spray of cooking oil as needed - it's just fine.

A: Did you coat the pizzele maker with oil before starting to make a batch? That's the first thing you must do each time. Put a little oil on it, wipe up the excess and heat it up!

You can absolutely substitute butter for oil (and vice versa) when you're cooking.

What happens if I use butter instead of margarine in a cookie recipe? ›

Butter yields better results in baking and has qualities that give it a greater depth of flavor, like how you can brown it, giving it a nutty, caramelized flavor, or use it as a thickening agent. It is also made from cream, so it has less ingredients and is minimally processed compared to margarine.

Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico” in the village of Colcullo in the Italian region of Abruzzo.

For me, my favorite way to enjoy pizzelle is hot off the press, but they're also pretty darn perfect with morning coffee and afternoon or evening tea. They're wonderful paired with fruit cup or vanilla ice-cream, or with fruit cup over vanilla ice-cream.

Krumkake is a Norwegian waffle cookie, like an Italian Pizzelle, made with a flat press that is rolled into a cone shape.

Pizzelles of the past were made on irons embossed with the family crest or other symbols of meaning. They were baked individually on these irons which were held over the top of an open flame. Today, as then, pizzelle cookies are still embossed but with a waffle pattern on one side and a floral pattern on the other.

Pizzelles, the oldest known waffle cookies, originated in Italy. The name pizzelle is based on the Italian word 'pizze' meaning round and flat, with the ending 'elle' referring to its small size.

Pizzelles are believed to be the oldest cookie in history, first made in the 8th century in south-central Italy. The traditional pizzelle cookie is made from a sugar/butter-based batter that is pressed between two hot irons, usually sporting a design.