Classic Vanilla and Anise Pizzelle Cookies
Make traditional, thin, crispy Italian waffle cookies at home. This recipe uses simple ingredients to create delicate, buttery pizzelle flavored with vanilla and anise, perfect for holiday trays or a sweet snack.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: About 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Waffle Iron
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon anise extract (or more to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow and slightly thickened.
- Beat in the melted butter, vanilla extract, and anise extract until fully combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until you have a smooth, thin batter. Do not overmix.
- Preheat your pizzelle maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. You need the iron to be hot to achieve crispy cookies.
- Lightly grease the pizzelle iron if necessary (many modern irons are non-stick).
- Drop about 1 teaspoon of batter onto the center of the hot iron. Close the lid immediately. The batter will spread quickly.
- Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, or until the steam stops escaping and the pizzelle is golden brown. Cooking time affects crispness; cook longer for crispier results.
- Carefully remove the hot pizzelle using a thin spatula. It will be soft at first.
- Immediately place the hot pizzelle onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. They will crisp up as they cool. If you want to shape them (into cannoli shells or cones), do so while they are still hot and pliable.
- Repeat with the remaining batter, allowing the iron to reheat between each cookie.
Notes
- For maximum crispness, let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack away from humidity.
- To make Almond Pizzelle, substitute the anise extract with 1 teaspoon of almond extract.
- To make Lemon Pizzelle, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest to the batter.
- For Chocolate Pizzelle, reduce the flour by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients.
- If your cookies are not crisping, return them to the warm (but turned off) pizzelle iron for 10-15 seconds to dry them out further.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 35mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg