PIZZELLE COOKIES

This is a special request for family in Florida, so here you go Mary - one recipe for Pizzelle.  I don’t usually make these cookies, because my mother’s sister Mary makes them all the time and, well...since they are absolutely the best I figure I should leave well enough alone.  So as long as aunt Mary keeps making her Pizzelle we are all happy campers.  My husband loved these cookies and every time Aunt Mary brought us a batch to the house, he made sure to cover them in red raspberry jam as soon as she gave them to him and proceeded to devour them.

Here are a few different variations you could try.  If you add ½ cup of coco powder to the batter, you will have chocolate Pizzelle.  Another option is two tablespoons of anisette or sambuca. I've only made these cookies a couple of times, and the second time I made them, I took them from the machine when they were hot and roll them around a wooden spoon handle so they could cool and become a round tube.  I then filled them with the filling used in cannoli.  The wooden spoon handle should be thick; if you don’t have a thick wooden spoon, you can use a stirring spoon handle.

Basically you can fill these Pizzelle with anything you like.  If you fill them with cannoli cream, make sure to chop up some pistachios and sprinkle them on top.  For the kids, dip the ends of the filled cookies in chocolate chips or sprinkles and watch them disappear quickly.

BASIC PIZZELLE

INGREDIENTS

THREE LARGE EGGS

¾ CUP SUGAR

TWO TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT

ONE STICK (1/2) CUP BUTTER MELTED AND COOLED

½ TEASPOON ANISE SEED

1 ¾ CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter and set aside.  Beat eggs and sugar until light yellow - 2-3 minutes.  Add melted butter and vanilla.  Beat until blended.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and aniseed.  Add half of this mixture to the wet ingredients, fold until just blended, add remaining flour and fold again until just incorporated.

Heat Pizzelle iron; place about 1 teaspoon of batter on grid approximately just behind the center of the pattern. Bake until golden brown - about 30-40 seconds.  Remove and cool on a rack.  Repeat with remaining batter.