Pizzelle Cookie Recipe (2024)

This Pizzelle recipe is my favorite Christmas cookie recipe, hands down! Well it is a tie between this and a top secret sugar cookie recipe I promised never to share.

Find me at Christmas with a pizzelle in one hand and a cup of Wassail in the other!

When I was a "kid", first working in corporate America, I met an older woman named Betty whose family had previously had a bakery in South Philly for decades.

We all know that South Philadelphia is known for some amazing bakeries and food!! One day Betty brought in Italian Pizzelle Cookies to pass out to those of us working at the bank. When her family owned the huge center city Philadelphia bakery, she said the Pizzelles were one of the most popular items.

One bite later I-was-smitten! I had never seen or heard of Pizzelle. AND I did have a few Italian friends and one all Italian uncle, whyyyy did it take until I was almost 20 years old??

Uncle Joe and Schipani family!! Were you keeping these delicious Italian cookies all to yourselves?? At first bite I knew these would stay in my life.

Why You LOVE this Pizzelle recipe

• To me, Pizzelle do not taste like any other cookie. They are light, lightly scented with anise, crisp and delicious.
• They are easy to make, they just take time since typically you can only make 2 at a time.
• Kids love helping make these, pizzelle making is a perfect intro to baking/cooking and makes a fantastic holiday ritual.

Betty generously gave me the family recipe from their bakery, along with (at that time) a precious bottle of anise oil.

The original recipe yielded 48 dozen cookies!!! I since cut it down but one thing I truly love about cooking and recipes is remembering those you got a recipe from or cooked with later in life.

Back when she gave me this recipe (1990 or so), you could really only get the anise seeds and not the oil that was used commercially. However, Betty also very generously gave me a bottle of her "precious" Anise oil.

I still have the original recipe card, taped in my oldest, falling apart, cookbook on the back cover.

While I can't remember Betty's last name and know she is long gone. I remember her kind face and smile EVERY time I make these (I have passed her legacy on to my children, nieces and nephews as well). Thank you Betty, you are remembered!

Someday I hope many of my readers, friends and family do the same for some of the recipes I have shared. I will live on through those and that makes me happy 🙂

What are Pizzelle?

Most commonly called Pizzelle, these traditional Italian waffle cookies, are also known as ferratelle or neole. A special iron press, used to cook them, imprint a design onto the thin, crispy cookies. History states the first Pizzelle cookies were made in Abruzzo, Italy back in the 8th century.

The first pizzelle presses where of course not electric, but rather an iron press with a long handles. Many had the family crest etched onto it for the cookie design. These presses were held over an open flame until the cookies were baked. So interesting!

Enjoyed for generations in Italy, Pizzelle are typically flavored with anise. However they can also be flavored with vanilla, or lemon, and are often enjoyed during the Christmas holidays as well Easter, and Italian celebrations such as weddings and baptisms.

Pizzelle can be served plain or dusted with powdered sugar or even with a filling between two cookies.

As pictured above, you can make chocolate dipped pizzelles and decorate them as well. A fun edible craft or food gift for the kids!

Ingredients

• Eggs
• Sugar
• Vegetable oil
• Anise oil
• Flour
• Salt

Variations

• Originally Pizzelle were made with anise seeds, later bakeries began using anise oil. Today anis oil is readily available. I find that I prefer my Pizelle cookies made with the oil. However you make them they way you enjoy.
• Alternative flavors include vanilla, lemon, coffee or whatever extract you wish.
• You can fold and dip edges in chocolate and then decorate them as shown above. You could add vanilla instead of anise oil or lemon oil if you wish.

Tips

• Read your pizzelle irons instructions before using and m,ake sure your iron is well greased.
• Typically the first two pizzelles I make I toss, as the iron heats up.
• After you make the dough, cover and allow it to sit in your refrigerator a couple hours or overnight to allow flavor to deepen.
• If dough has been chilled, allow it to come up to room temperature before cooking the pizzelles.
• You can make ½ the cookies, store dough in the fridge and make the rest the following day.
• They no longer make my favorite pizzelle maker by Villaware, however this one works great.
• Be sure to oil your iron and preheat it. Oil as often as necessary if you see a pizzelle begin to stick.
• Remove pizzelle from iron with a metal spatula and quickly place onto cooling racks. The will quickly firm up.
• Do not place in container until completely cool.

Storage

These keep well for weeks in an airtight container or jar.

Christmas Recipes You Will Love

Originally published 2009, updated in 2023.

Enjoy your Holiday season!! XO Colleen