Pizzelle: a kitchen method

Pizzelle cookies cooked to golden brown and coated in powdered sugar.

This pizzelle recipe is flat crunchy vanilla flavored cookies that are baked in an iron, then finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. A classic Italian dessert that’s reliable for parties and gift giving!

I love to give kitchen-made goodies as gifts, especially during the holiday season. Some of my go-to treats to give out include Christmas monster cookies, gooey butter cookies, chocolate spritz cookies, Italian cookies, Christmas sugar cookies, reindeer chow, chocolate covered pretzels and these impressive looking pizzelle cookies from Italy.

When I’m looking for a unique and unexpected dessert recipe, I turn to pizzelle cookies. They’re light and crunchy, full of flavor, and also happen to be super straightforward to make. Serve your cookies as-is, or mold them into cup or cone shapes to serve with ice cream and berries.

Pizzelle Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need large eggs, granulated sugar, milk, butter, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking powder, vegetable oil and powdered sugar.

How Do You Make Pizzelle Cookies?

Making pizzelle cookies is a lot like making waffles; just make a batter and cook it on a pizzelle iron. To make the batter, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, milk, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Sift in flour and baking powder. Stir the batter until it is smooth. Brush a thin coating of vegetable oil on your pizzelle iron and heat up the iron. Pour a tablespoon of batter at the center of each pattern on the iron and close the lid. In about 30 seconds the pizzelles will be cooked to reliable crispness, golden and ready to remove. Let the cookies cool and harden on a rack or flat surface and they are ready to serve with a little powdered sugar on top!

Tips For the Reliable Cookies

If your cookies are coming out uneven, try adding the batter slightly to the back (hinged side) of the center pattern. Closing the lid will push the batter forward.
Use a wooden skewer to remove the cookies from the iron. The iron will be hot, so be careful.
A good way to know that your cookie is just about finished is that steam will stop coming out of the iron.
If you want a perfectly round cookie, you can try adding a little more batter so that the batter spreads outside of the patterns. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, just trim off any excess with kitchen shears.

Quick Tip

You can use a pizzelle iron or certain waffle irons or sandwich makers that come with detachable pizzelle plates.

Recipe FAQs

What is a pizzelle?

A pizzelle is an Italian cookie that is like a crunchy, flat and sweet waffle. Pizzelles are made by cooking batter in a pizzelle iron (similar to a waffle iron). Pizzelles cook up flat with a pattern or design appearing in raised ridges on the cookie. They are traditionally enjoyed at parties such as weddings and on holidays such as Easter and Christmas. These cookies also can be shaped into cups, cones or even rolled and stuffed with a sweet filling.

How long do pizzelles stay fresh?

In an airtight container, these cookies last 2 weeks. Make sure the container is airtight to avoid moisture which can make the cookies soft.

Can you freeze pizzelles?

You can freeze pizzelles in an airtight container. These cookies stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months. When you are ready to eat them, just thaw them in an airtight container on a countertop. If you’re planning to freeze your cookies, add the powdered sugar after the cookies have thawed.

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A stack of pizzelle cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

Flavor Variations

While this recipe is tasty as-is, you can customize the ingredients to suit your tastes.

Flavorings: You can use different extracts to flavor your cookies. Try using a teaspoon of almond, lemon, orange or anise extract instead of the vanilla.
Toppings: Instead of powdered sugar, try dipping your cookies halfway in melted chocolate and add some fun sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.

Pizzelle cookies are crunchy, golden and so very tasty. They are holiday treats that are good enough to make year round!

More Great Cookie Recipes

S’mores Cookies

27 mins

Monster Cookies

25 mins

Eggnog Cookies

30 mins

Nutella Cookies

25 mins

Cake Mix Cookies

20 mins

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This pizzelle recipe is flat crunchy vanilla flavored cookies that are baked in an iron, then finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. A classic Italian dessert that's reliable for parties and gift giving! Time Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes

Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Serves 18

Equipment

Pizzelle iron, waffle iron with pizzelle attachment or a sandwich maker with a pizzelle attachment.

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup butter melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, melted butter and vanilla until smooth.
Use a sifter to add the flour and baking powder to the batter. Mix the batter until it is smooth and there are no lumps.
Brush a pizzelle iron with oil until lightly coated. Make sure to brush the top and bottom plates of the pizzelle iron.
Place about a tablespoon of batter at the center of each pizzelle pattern in the pizzelle iron and close the lid.
Let the batter cook for around 30 seconds and lift the lid. The pizzelle should be cooked through and golden.
Every pizzelle iron is different. You can adjust the amount of batter or cooking time to make your reliable pizzelle.
When each pizzelle is cooked, carefully remove it from the pizzelle maker and lay it on a flat surface to cool and harden.
Sift powdered sugar over the pizzelles just before serving them.

Notes

If your cookies are coming out uneven, try adding the batter slightly to the back (hinged side) of the center pizzelle pattern. Closing the lid will push the batter forward.
Use a wooden skewer to remove the cookies from the iron. The iron will be hot, so be careful.
A good way to know that your cookie is just about finished is that steam will stop coming out of the iron.