Pizzelles
There are certain spaces and places from my childhood that I have a snapshot memory of. Sometimes there is one specific moment that I remember, or many moments that I remember, and sometimes it's just the space itself. The kitchen table at my Memaw and Pop-Pop's old house is one of those spaces, and on that kitchen table is a plate of pizzelles.
This will come as a shocker to no one, but the kitchen tables at both my sets of grandparents' houses were the gathering place. We played games at those tables, ate at those tables, sat and talked at those tables. At my Memaw and Pop-Pop's house – my paternal grandparents – there were always other grandkids running around when I was there. I don't know how we all collectively would end up at the kitchen table at once, but I remember all of us sitting around that table together – it felt so big then – and there were always pizzelles waiting for us. We lovingly called them Memaw cookies (and sometimes still do).
This is the recipe my Memaw would use to make those well-loved cookies. She didn't always make them with anise extract, especially when we were little. Sometimes they were vanilla. It didn't matter to me – I inhaled them all. My grandmother is now past the time of being able to be on her feet long enough to make a batch of these, but I'll be making them until I reach that time myself.
My mother has since made these using coconut
extract and cinnamon extract, as well as vanilla and anise. I think we've tried almond extract, too. You're welcome to try any kind of extract you like, if anise isn't a flavor you appreciate (you monster). You'll need a pizzelle press to make these, so if you don't already have one, I recommend the CucinaPro (what my mother uses) or the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press (what my grandmother used and I now use)! Get pressing, and enjoy!
PIZZELLES
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time*: 45 minutes
*This depends on the press, but mine cooks 2 cookies at a time and it takes 45 minutes to do them all.
Ingredients
8 T of salted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 t anise extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1 pinch salt
Directions
Plug in and/or turn on your pizzelle press, and give it a quick spray with canola oil on both the top and bottom. You'll probably want to refer to the manual to decide what heat level to use, but my Cuisinart is a 1 to 5 scale, and I set it to 2.5.
In a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together – flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and the sugar together thoroughly. Add the eggs and the anise extract, and mix again. Stir in the dry ingredients slowly until everything is well combined.
Make sure your press is hot, and drop a heaping tablespoon of dough onto each cookie mold, then close the top. Again, you'll want to check your manual to decide how long to leave the cookie in there, and this will also depend on your preference – do you want these a little softer inside, or crunchy throughout? I leave my cookies on the press for around or just under 2 minutes.
When your pizzelles are cooked to your standards, remove them from the press (either gently using a fork, or using a sturdy plastic utensil), and set them on a cooling rack.
These are most flavorful when cooled, so enjoy them after they've reached room temperature. They're great with coffee (as are all Italian cookies) or just by themselves!
Happy Eating,
Natalie