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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.
Would a waffle maker work?
Hi Elpida, I can’t find the answer on the internet, so I’ll have to look into it myself. But I probably won’t be able to do that in the next few days, so I’m sorry about that. It’s possible it would work, you would just do a very thin layer of batter in the waffle maker and basically cook it from the bottom of the cookie upwards. It sounds totally feasible. I just don’t know for sure! Sorry about that. Thanks – Meggan
No the grid is to deep.. the pixel level maker is almost flat the design barely cut in
Meggan,
My family has been making them since this 55 year old can remember & our family uses oil vs the butter, now i carry on this tradition with my 2 teenage daughters & we literally make the day of it, usually start around 9 am & pack up is completed around 8 pm. anyway, what do you think about oil vs butter? my batches are much larger so we use 12 eggs / 7 cups flour to 2 cups of oil. of course we have other ingredients as well.
I’m 77 years old and my grandmothers recipe uses oil as well. I can’t seem to bring myself to use all oil so I use half butter & half oil. I’d like to know the difference of oil vs butter. Does anyone know?
Good to re-heat @200* for 10 minutes to re-crisp after a few days of humid weather in warm climates. If your eggs are a bit small, the mix can be too thick, so I added water(+-2 teaspoons) to get the right texture. Too thick and the Pizzelle may not cook to a crisp without being too dark.
My dough is sticky..should I add more flour?
Hi Rosemarie, your dough should be sticky. It’s hard to know what to tell you without feeling it myself, so I would say if it’s so sticky you can’t work with it, then yes, add a little flour. Good luck! -Meggan
How should pye plstes be stored if not used for a few weeks
Put a paper towel between each plate and then put in brown paper bag for storage.
Would waffle maker work?
Hi Sila, that’s a great question. I can’t find the answer on the internet, so I’ll have to look into it myself. But I probably won’t be able to do that in the next few days, so I’m sorry about that. It’s possible it would work, you would just do a very thin layer of batter in the waffle maker and basically cook it from the bottom of the cookie upwards. It sounds totally feasible. I just don’t know for sure! Sorry about that. Thanks – Meggan
To the lady asking about an engraved iron Palmer in West Newton sales a lovely engraved iron I have my monogram in mine they also offer an engraved iron for weddings. They do have a website. Google Palmer oitzelle irons. Mariann601@comcast.net
If I need to stop for awhile, should I put the dough in the refrigerator. Must you cook all of them at once? I am pressed for time. Thanks! Susan
Hi Susan, I don’t know! I doubt it. I think the batter would be fine in the fridge because, although they have a leavening agent, it’s not like they are tall cookies. They don’t rise. So I can’t imagine it would make a difference. I’ll test it when I get the chance, but likely not in time for you. Thanks for the question! Sorry I couldn’t give you a better answer! -Meggan
Hello,
I mix my dough a day or up to four days before and refrigerate it. I was taught that way by my very experienced Mother-in-law, she was 93 when she passed. She used her mother’s recipe from way back!!!
When you refrigerate the dough it lets the flavor “settle” as I was taught. If you press the dough chilled it makes for a very crisp cookie. Enjoy!!
Hi, I was wondering if you have to cool the pizzelles before you eat them.
Hi Tanya, yes, you can definitely eat them warm. They will be soft if you do, and if you wait until they cool they will get crunchier. That’s the only difference. Hope this helps!
I had an ice cream waffle cone maker instead of a pizzelle maker. Because the cone maker has two flat patterned areas that close together it worked as a great substitute.
I did half the recipe and used vanilla extract. Just in case.
These were absolutely great. Thank you for the recipe.
I have a question regarding the directions for mixing the ingredients. Other recipes say to mix the sugar, eggs, vanilla/anise together then add the dry ingredients. Your recipe indicates mixing all the ingredients together at same time. Which way is better ?
In a lot of baking recipes, you begin with wet ingredients, then add in the dry ingredients. In this recipe, I found that it didn’t really make a difference. By doing this, it eliminates one bowl.