Anise Pizzelle Recipe (Classic Christmas Cookies) Savoring The Good® (2024)

FAQs

What does pizzelle mean in Italian? ›

The name pizzelle is based on the Italian word 'pizze' meaning round and flat, with the ending 'elle' referring to its small size. Often featured during celebrations, and hung as edible decorations, the pizzelle has been woven into countless meaningful moments throughout history.

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.

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”.

They are often found at Italian weddings, alongside other traditional pastries such as cannoli and traditional Italian cookies. It is also common to sandwich two pizzelle with cannoli cream (ricotta blended with sugar) or hazelnut spread.

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

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.

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.

Heat your pizzelle maker, grease it with a little olive oil and add a generous spoon of your batter. Remove the excess batter with a fork (and remember like Nonna to always clean the stove when you finish!).

Why did my pizzelle go soft? ›

*Tip: Make sure you fully cool your pizzelles and do not cover for several hours as they will get mushy and soft – you want them to stay crispy! That's why I love my metal tin or glass containers – they keep them nice and fresh! I never close the lid too tight – they need to breathe!

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.

1. Chocolate chip cookies. What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one.

I bet you didn't know that the American classic dessert, the chocolate chip cookie, wasn't invented until 1938.

Oreos are familiar, accessible, and darn good with or without a tall glass of chilled oat milk. Curious about the vegan nature of this 111-year-old cookie, we dove into the history (and the ingredients) of the iconic Oreo.

It is believed pizzelles were first used in the Italian village of Colcullo, Italy to celebrate the driving out of the snakes to prevent them from overtaking the town.

Pizzelle are a specialty of the Italian region of Abruzzo, and their popularity in the U.S. is strong! Traditionally, pizzelle are made with anise extract or anise oil, and that is my preferred flavor, but they can also be made with vanilla, lemon or orange extracts.

What do pizzelle cookies taste like? Pizzelle are not just made like waffle cones—they taste like them too! Some pizelle contain anise and have a distinct licorice taste, but these simply taste like a thin, crispy buttery cookie perfumed with delicious almond extract.