Traditional Pizzelles

Today we made Pizzelles!  It's been two years since I last made them.  I forgot how long they take!  They're super easy-peasy, but most traditional pizzelle makers cook only two at a time, so it takes a hot minute to cook a normal-sized batch.  And I suppose "normal size" for me means for a family of six!  My 4 children love these Italian cookies.  They're not super sweet (as most Italian desserts), so you can put more of them away without the sugary crash.

My (ex)mother-in-law handed this recipe down to me when I took over baking the desserts for our Italian restaurant.  I should just stick to the traditional citrus recipe, but I like to try other flavors.  Still, nothing seems to beat the traditional lemony citrus flavor!

With this last batch, I halved the recipe and added lemon extract to one half, and powdered cinnamon to the other.

• 13 large eggs (I used 7 for the lemon batch, and 7 for the cinnamon batch)
• 3 cups sugar (again halving this for the separate batches)
• 1 1/2 lb butter (3 sticks in one batch, 3 sticks in the other)
• 8 tsp. vanilla (4 tsp in each batch)
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon or orange peel (this is where I used 2 tsp of lemon extract, or 2 tsp of cinnamon. And of course, these can be adjusted to your tastes!)
• 6 cups flour (3 cups for each batch)
• 4 tsp baking powder (2 tsp for each batch)

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• Combine & mix together the first three ingredients.  Add vanilla.  Beat.  Add lemon or orange peel (or extract, or cinnamon).  Then add the flour and baking powder.  Beat well.  Then you'll want to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter on the hot surface of the pizzelle maker.  I always need to adjust this a bit to get exactly the right size.  Some scoops may not fill the entire circular design on the pizzelle maker, and some scoops may overflow them a bit.  You'll get the hang it after a few test cookies.  Check them often while they're cooking, and when it's time to remove them, you'll want to use a spatula as the cookies will be very soft.  Cool them flat, either on a cooling rack, or on parchment paper.  I use a cooling rack, them move them to parchment to start stacking them up.  Once they cool, they become airy & light crispy cookies!  Mangia!!

I used my Kitchen Aid mixer to combine and beat the ingredients.  It makes quick work and allows you to add the eggs and dry ingredients while it's still doing the work for you.  I'll have all of my kitchen utensils that I used listed on my Get My Faves tab for your easy shopping convenience.

Enjoy!!
​Ruby