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An easy Pizzelle recipe for the classic Italian cookie, lightly sweetened and flavored with vanilla or anise. All you need are 6 ingredients and 1 pizzelle maker!
I learned about Pizzelle from one of my best childhood friends. Her family made Pizzelle the traditional way, with an iron that had engraved plates and a clamp to hold it together.
Loosely translated, Pizzelle means “small, flat, and round” and that’s exactly what these cookies are.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Equipment and ingredient notes
- Pizzelle iron: Modern versions of pizzelle makers are just like waffle makers. They’re silvery, shiny, and beautiful, and they also make cookies! We rounded up the best pizzelle makers you can buy, and our top pick is the one I personally own and love – the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press.
- Anise: Anise is a common flavor, or you can use vanilla or almond extract. For lemon, use 1 teaspoon lemon oil instead of lemon extract (lemon extract doesn’t have enough flavor).
Do you need a pizzelle maker to make pizzelle?
I tested some of the most popular hacks on the Internet to see if you can in fact make pizzelle without a pizzelle iron—and none of them worked! I tried making them in a waffle maker, the oven, and on a stovetop. The waffle maker made pizzelle-flavored waffles, and the oven and stove top both led to pizzelle-flavored pancakes.
We rounded up the best pizzelle makers you can buy, and our top pick is the one I personally own and love – the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press. You can buy it at Walmart for $46.99. If you’re not looking to spend a ton of money, the Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker is a great option, too. It’s so cute—and it’s only $9.99 at Target!
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat pizzelle iron and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, anise or vanilla extract, baking powder, and eggs.
- Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter on to pizzelle iron and close.
- Bake as directed by manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a nonstick spatula, remove each pizzelle to a cooling rack; repeat with remaining batter.
- Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 36 cookies, 12 servings of 3 cookies each.
- Storage: Store Pizzelle at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (for best results, layer the cookies between pieces of parchment paper or wax paper).
- Freezer: Pack cooled Pizzelle in a sturdy container between layers of parchment or wax paper (they may get broken if they are just in plastic bags). Label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Rolled: While the pizzelle are still warm from the iron, wrap them around a wooden dowel. You can even fill them with sweetened ricotta for a Mock Cannoli.
- Bake sale: Pizzelle are ideal for a bake sale or cookie swap because they are rarer than the usual chocolate chip cookies or brownies, and they look so fantastic wrapped in a small plastic treat bag tied with a pretty bow.
- Italian menu: Create your own Italian Feast with a traditional Antipasto Platter or Bruschetta, Spaghetti and Meatballs or Lasagna, Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, or Panzanella Salad. Finish up the meal with Pizzelle, of course, or thick slabs of Tiramisu.
- Drinks with dessert: Looking for a cool Italian cocktail? Try a bright Aperol Spritz, a sweet Bellini, or a classic Negroni or Americano. Or, sip on some Limoncello.
Recipe FAQs
I tested every internet hack I could find to see if you can make pizzelle without a pizzelle iron. None of them worked! I tried making them in a waffle maker, in the oven (between 2 baking sheets), and in a skillet (flattened with something heavy on top). The waffle maker made pizzelle flavored waffles, and the oven and stove-top both led to pizzelle flavored pancakes. If you’re going to make pizzelle, you need a pizzelle iron.
Pizzelle comes from the word pizze which means round and flat, like a pizza. The elle part of the word means small (the diminutive). So pizzelle are small and flat.
The oldest known cookies in the world are Pizzelle, a small, flat cookie from Italy. Centuries ago, a small village called Colcullo was overrun by snakes. They were driven out by a Benedictine monk named San Domenico. The village celebrated with pizzelle and the Festival of the Snakes (or the Feast Day of San Domenico), still held every year on May 1st. Snake lovers, bring your own snake!
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Pizzelle
Equipment
- Pizzelle iron I love my Cuisinart Pizzelle Press, but, I'm also a big fan of CucinaPro pizzelle makers! You can get one that makes mini cookies or regular size on Amazon.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon anise or vanilla extract (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat pizzelle iron and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, anise or vanilla extract, and baking powder. Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter on to pizzelle iron and close.
- Bake as directed by manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a nonstick spatula, remove each pizzelle to a cooling rack; repeat with remaining batter.
- Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Pizzelle iron: Modern versions are just like a waffle maker: a silvery, shiny, beautiful waffle maker that makes cookies. I use and recommend the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press, which you can buy for $49.95 on Amazon.
- Anise: Anise is a common flavor, or you can use vanilla or almond extract. For lemon, use 1 teaspoon lemon oil instead of lemon extract (lemon extract doesn’t have enough flavor).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 36 cookies, 12 servings of 3 cookies each.
- Storage: Store Pizzelle at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (for best results, layer the cookies between pieces of parchment paper or wax paper).
- Freezer: Pack cooled Pizzelle in a sturdy container between layers of parchment or wax paper (they may get broken if they are just in plastic bags). Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months.
Ahhhh! Love these, Meggan! Why have I never heard of pizzelle before?
I love love love that you can keep them as simple cookies or make canoli (& ice cream cones!) with them.
Merry Christmas! 🙂
Thanks for posting this recipe.
I have a granddaughter that is allergic to eggs– Is there any way pizzelle could be made without using eggs?? I have a pizzelle iron but have never been able to find an eggless recipe Thank you!
Hi Mary! I have never tried to make egg-less pizzelle. I am certainly willing to try it out and report back to you, but I won’t have access to my pizzelle iron until after the holidays (I’m visiting family right now). But, in this recipe, eggs are being used as a binder more than a leavening agent (in my opinion). So I feel like you could substitute applesauce or bananas to go egg-less the way cake mixes do it. To replace 4 eggs, you’d want to use 2 medium bananas, mashed, or 1 cup of applesauce. Feel free to give it a try if you are adventurous, or I will tackle it in January and let you know! Such a shame to not be able to use your pizzelle maker otherwise!
Thank you so much for your question.
Hi … I was also looking for egg free recipe and I found one using pizza doug (for 1 third cup of dough – add 3 tble sugar and lemon for flavour. What I am not sure of is if the dough needs to rise or use it as soon as it is mixed …
Hi Diane, I cannot say for sure whether you should let the dough rise or not. With regular pizzelle dough you just use it right away. I think trial and error will be your friend here. You could set half of the dough aside and let it rise, and proceed immediately with the other half? Good luck to you, and thank you for stopping by!
These cookies are so pretty. I’ve never heard of a pizelle iron – I’ll probably see them everywhere now. But now I’ll know! All the flavor possibilities with extract sound yummy. Could you do a cocoa version?
Luci’s Morsels – fashion. food. frivolity.
Luci, I have done (and loved!) a chocolate Pizzelle with cocoa powder. So delicious! I will look for my chocolate version and comment again once I find it, it should be something like “use x-cups of cocoa powder in place of y ingredients” or something like that. Or pinterest will have a bazillion options I’m sure! I saw a version on Pinterest that was chocolate and orange, sounds pretty good to me! Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂
Lucy I’ve made chocolate ones and honestly I prefer the ones made with anise. You can but a pizelle iron from many places. I would not recommend the teflon coated ones. I love my pizelles.
These pizelles were AMAZING! My kids were fighting over them!
So glad you loved them! 🙂 I can’t wait to make some more for you!
I like pizzelles. I haven’t had any in a very long time. Now I have a recipe I can make my own. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Norma! I hope you enjoy them. I wonder if a cardamom version would be good? 🙂
I bet these pizelles smell amazing when they’re cooking up. I’m looking into a pizelle iron…thanks for the inspiration and friend invite on FoodBuzz! 😉
They look very cute.. I think if they wouldn’t be made with pizzelle iron they wouldn’t look that good.. 🙂
My uncle uses a waffle iron to make these, they lack the all important pizzelle iron!
I am definetely going to try this recipe.Got to add the powdered sugar.