Pizzelle
Thin anise waffle wafers pressed in a patterned iron, crisp enough to snap. Abruzzo has made them since the eighth century, which may be the oldest cookie in Europe.
Photograph credit: Banana Loquat Custard Pizzelle (2) by Janet Hudson · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photograph credit: Banana Loquat Custard Pizzelle (3) by Janet Hudson · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Pizzelle: Step by Step
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, 3 minutes.
-
Whisk in the melted butter and the anise.
-
Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt to a stiff dropping batter.
-
Rest the batter 30 minutes while the iron heats.
-
Drop a heaped teaspoon slightly behind the centre of each mould and close the iron firmly.
-
Cook 45 to 60 seconds, until pale gold and the steam has stopped.
-
Lift each wafer off flat onto a rack, in a single layer, and let it crisp as it cools.
-
Dust with icing sugar. Shape any you want as cones or cannoli tubes while still hot.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
Things to Watch For
- A stiff batter. Loose batter spreads past the pattern.
- Cool them flat and in one layer, or they bend and soften.
- Shape cones within about ten seconds of lifting them out.
The Short Version
A stiff batter, not a pourable one — it should drop from the spoon in a lump, because a loose batter spreads past the pattern and gives you a thick, floppy wafer with no impression on it. One heaped teaspoon slightly behind the centre of each mould, and the iron closed firmly rather than clamped. And they crisp only as they cool, so lift each one off flat onto a rack; stacked warm, they steam each other soft and bend.
What to Serve It With
Espresso · Filled with ricotta cream · A tin at Christmas
Leftovers
In an airtight tin for 3 weeks. They soften in humidity — re-crisp in a low oven.
Questions People Ask
How long does Pizzelle take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of resting, so allow 1 hour 15 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 12.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Italian cooking and baking ideas from Weekly Delight.
Bombolone
Soft Italian doughnuts of enriched dough risen for 90 minutes, fried for 15 minutes and rolled in sugar, filled with…
Bomboloni al Forno
Soft baked Italian doughnuts of enriched dough risen for 90 minutes, baked for 20 minutes and rolled in sugar, with…
Torta di Noci
A dense walnut cake of ground walnuts, eggs, butter and a little flour with honey, baked for 40 minutes at 180C.
Crostata alle Fragole
A baked sweet pastry case filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh strawberries and a glaze, in 1 hour…
Baci di Dama
Small hazelnut shortbread rounds sandwiched with dark chocolate, baked for 15 minutes and chilled to set.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Crostata alla Nutella
A crumbly sweet pastry tart filled with chocolate hazelnut spread and finished with a lattice, baked for 35 minutes…