Classic Italian Pizzelle Recipe - Crafting a Family Dinner (2024)

FAQs

Why are my pizzelles not crunchy? ›

There are a few reasons why your pizzelle might not be crispy: Humidity – If you live in a very humid climate it can affect the crispiness of your cookies. Cooling – You must cool your cookies completely before storing. They need to cool completely on a cooling rack before being stored.

They're thin wafer-like, crispy cookies, traditionally made with anise flavoring.

Avoid storing them in the refrigerator, as the moisture in the fridge can make them lose their crispness. Over time, pizzelle may become less crisp. If you notice they have lost their desired texture, you can try reheating them in the oven briefly to regain some of their crispness. They will keep for up to 7 days.

Pizzelle batter is very thick and sticky, so it can be hard to transfer off of a spoon onto a waffle maker. Instead, pipe the batter in a swirl with a large open tip (Wilton 1A) so it fills the whole section when pressed.

If you have access to an oven, preheat it to 300 degrees. Stack the cookies on a sheet pan and place in the oven, then turn the oven off. 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.

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

It is also common to sandwich two pizzelle with cannoli cream (ricotta blended with sugar) or hazelnut spread. Pizzelle, while still warm, can also be rolled into a tubular shape using a wooden dowel to create cannoli shells.

A Crispy History

Pizzelles, the oldest known waffle cookies, originated in Italy. The name pizzelle is based on the Italian word 'pizze' meaning round and flat, with the ending 'elle' referring to its small size.

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.

*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!

What is the best pizzelle maker? ›

Our Top Pick: CucinaPro Pizzelle Baker

There is also a clamp on the end of the handles to keep the batter level. Apart from producing two 5-inch cookies at once in two different designs, it's also easy to clean thanks to the high-quality nonstick coating.

I use cooking spray for the first two pizzelle only, just to make sure they do not stick. You do not need to spray for each pizzelle pair, just at the beginning. Each iron is different.

Many pizzelle recipes call for vegetable oil but I use half melted butter and half margarine. The oil in the margarine helps thin the batter a bit making it easier to pour into the iron and also helps create a crispier cookie. I posted a chocolate pizzelle recipe that uses all melted butter so check it out too!

A: Did you coat the pizzele maker with oil before starting to make a batch? That's the first thing you must do each time. Put a little oil on it, wipe up the excess and heat it up!

Also known by the names ferratelle or cancelle, pizzelle means little pizza and comes from the Italian word “pizze,” meaning round or flat.

The signature crinkle effect happens when the cookies spread and crack as they bake. If your cookies aren't crinkling, it might be because the dough is too warm (try chilling it for longer before baking), or the oven temperature might be too low (ensure your oven is correctly preheated).

Adding too little flour can cause cookies to be flat, greasy, and crispy. Most recipes assume you'll use all-purpose, but if you want a lighter, crumblier cookie texture, choose one with a lower protein content such as cake-and-pastry flour. Baking soda helps cookies spread outward and upward while cooking.

While we found that multiple factors can affect how quickly the top dries out and thus how many cracks are formed (including the temperature of the dough and how rapidly it spreads in the oven), a simple tweak turned out to be key to producing a maximum number of fissures: rolling the balls of dough in granulated sugar ...

Butter contributes milk solids and water to a cookie, both of which soften it. Brown sugar contributes molasses – again, a softener. Using lower-moisture sugar (granulated) and fat (vegetable shortening), plus a longer, slower bake than normal, produces light, crunchy cookies.