Pizzelle Traditions

It is generally believed that pizzelles originated in a middle region of Italy in ancient times to mark an annual celebration. Initially baked over an open fire with relatively simple but effective irons, the early pizzelles often were proudly embossed with the family crest or some hint of the village of origin.

Over time it became tradition to use pizzelles to celebrate any holiday or festive occasion but inevitably there were pizzelles for everyone at Christmas and Easter. The modern patterns found on these delicious waffle cookies are most commonly floral on one side and a woven basket-like pattern on the other.

The recent increased popularity of pizzelles is the result of greater recognition of their delicious versatility. For example, pizzelles, when still hot, can be formed into cylinders, cones and mini- baskets that can hold a wide variety of delicious fillings for festive occasions. The range of taste experiences that can be created with fillings of formed pizzelles is virtually endless.

Some Favorite pizzelle recipes

The basic pizzelle recipe has undergone little change through the years. However, there are variations based on selection of cooking oils, including butter, margarine, vegetable oil or short- ening, and, of course, many flavorings including, anise, vanilla or almond extract. Even rum extracts and whiskey are used by some in pizzelles.

The fundamental ingredients of the pizzelle are eggs, flour and sugar and the relative amount of these ingredients can be varied slightly to match your preferences of taste and texture.

Once all ingredients are fully blended, select and test a small teaspoon or a demitasse spoon you plan to use for dispensing and dropping the batter onto the pizzelle patterns. Consistency of the batter will be that of a soft dough that holds its shape. The spoon will retain some of the mix. If the mix seems too stiff, stir in several tablespoons of water and retest. If the mix seems too thin, blend into the mix a few tablespoons or enough flour to give the right consistency.

You can slightly adjust the amount of baking powder in any recipe. It is necessary to use just enough to ensure the three pizzelles fill out completely during the baking cycle. More than that will do little for the texture and increase the likelihood that the thickness of the pizzelles will exceed the 3⁄16 inch designed thickness.

Commonly, pizzelle recipes use 3, 6 or 12 eggs. Most recipes start with 6 eggs, which will make about 150 pizzelles in the PizzellePro®.

We recommend a family recipe from Caterina Casola of Buffalo, New York. This recipe has been handed down more generations in Italy than her family can remember. Year after year her delicious recipe has been used to produce thousands of pizzelles eagerly awaited by the family and a host of friends.