Pizzelles require a crazy amount of standing. And a gas stove. My mom inherited my grandma's pizelle irons, so we meander on over to their house every Christmas season, and at 2-minutes per cookie, we crank out hundreds of these during the holidays. It reminds me of my little Italian family, and cookies that seemed to come from every direction without end. I've never found a substitute for them, nor have I ever tasted another recipe that tastes like my grandma's. They aren't fancy... and we leave out the anise because... well, we don't like anise! To each his own. Traditionally, they're made with anise.
If you happen to spot one of these crazy looking irons hidden in a grandma/aunt/cousin's closet/attic/basement... grab it! I mean, ask before you steal it, but make sure it doesn't get lost. They are gems! If you're a new-bee, you can find them at stores including Amazon (does anyone else buy half their life on Amazon? Just me?). Make sure it's a good quality iron... the more worn-in, the better!
^ Hey! Let's just say I named my daughter after pizelles! (Get it? Elle? I didn't really. But it's a delightful coincidence.)
Pizzelle Cookies
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
15 tbsp. melted butter
15 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-5 c. flour
Mix dry ingredients together, add beaten eggs and butter. Knead to form a soft dough. Roll to ping pong ball size. (Refrigerate unused dough.) Place balls one at a time in iron, cooking on gas stove about one minute per side. Cool each cookie before stacking.
Of course, late into the night I realized my genius idea to wrap them in parchment paper and twine wouldn't work (the parchment was just too slick to hold). And I didn't have enough treat bags. What is one to do, other than whip out the sewing machine? I swear I sew more paper than I do fabric. (Pretend I took the time to change the thread... which of course, I did not.) Voila! Neighbor gifts!
