At the holidays, these crisp, simple cookies are stacked everywhere in Italian kitchens. My family was from Abruzzi, and my mother always used the recipe from her older sister. You can scent these cookies with orange, almond or lemon or just vanilla, but we always made plenty with anise at Christmas. You can use a simple stove-top pizzelle maker or an electric one. I prefer the kind without a non-stick coating. A little shot of cooking spray or a wipe with some cooking oil helps prime the press. Like pancakes, you will probably throw away the first one.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups/210 grams flour, plus a little more if batter is too thin
  • 2 teaspoons/15 grams baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon/6 grams salt
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup/150 grams sugar
  • ¼ pound/113 grams butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon/2.5 milliliters anise extract
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (48 servings)

      49 calories; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 16 milligrams cholesterol; 77 milligrams sodium

    • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

About 4 dozen

Preparation

  1. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat eggs and sugar until blended and slightly fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add cooled, melted butter, vanilla and anise and mix until incorporated well. Mix in dry ingredients a cup or so at a time, until batter is smooth but thick.
  2. Using 2 spoons, one to scoop up the batter and the other to ease it onto the iron, drop batter onto the center of a well-heated pizzelle maker. For smaller, 3-inch pizzelles, use a generous teaspoon of batter. For the 5-inch, use about a tablespoon.
  3. Cook for 30 to 40 seconds, or until just lightly brown. Gently remove to a rack or plate to cool.

1 hour

Dining and Cooking