What You Need To Start Making Pizzelle

Pizzelle are a beautiful, thin Italian cookie featuring grid or floral imprints.  They are sometimes rolled into cannoli shells or dusted with powdered sugar.  Because they are so beautiful and look so fancy on display, a lot of people have no idea that a pizzelle recipe is actually very simple and easy to make.

The process of making these delicate cookies is not so much difficult as it is time consuming.  Dough is spooned out onto patterned grids on a hot iron, and then the iron is closed and the cookies are left to bake, filling the grids and creating the thin cookie with the decorative patterns.  Pizzelle makers come in different sizes according to your preference, and usually only make from one to four cookies at a time.

But supplies and ingredients used in a pizzelle recipe are simple and easily found.  As a matter of fact, you probably have a number of the ingredients already.  These are the ingredients commonly used in a pizzelle recipe and supplies used in the baking.

Cookie Basics

The ingredients commonly used in a lot of cookie recipes include flour, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, salt, and baking powder.  These are the typical ingredients found in pizzelle, too.  If you are just making a basic vanilla cookie, you may even need only these ingredients.  But to quickly change the flavor, use a different extract instead of vanilla, such as chocolate or banana.

Flavoring Oil

Stronger and used in smaller amounts than extracts, these are most often used to give the pizzelle recipe its flavor.  Anise, with its licorice taste, is common and is an Italian favorite.  If it is not what you prefer, though, you have many other options to use.  Cinnamon and orange are also a great choice.  You can find flavoring oils with candy making supplies or online.

A Good Mixer

Because the recipe makes a thick dough, it is best to use an electric mixer.

A Pizzelle Maker

This appliance is not used for much more than making pizzelle and other waffle-style cookies, so it is not very multifunctional.  But if you make the cookies more than once every year, then it is worth buying an electric one.  An electric pizzelle maker makes use of anywhere from one to four patterned grids to make designs in the cookies.  You can find them online and in stores.

Powdered Sugar And A Sifter

Used to dust the cookies lightly after they cool.  While it is not necessary, it makes the presentation prettier.

Photo by trekkyandy

Read This Before Shopping For A New Pizzelle Maker

If you want to make pizzelle, the first thing you need is a good pizzelle maker.  But there are so many available, from the new nonstick models with lots of features to the basic aluminum ones you might remember in your grandma's kitchen.  With so many out there, how do you decide which one is the best one for you?

It's best to invest in a good quality iron, whether you make pizzelle once a week or once a year.  If you make them often, then using a good iron will allow it to withstand the use it receives.  If you don't make them frequently, then a good iron may be the only one you'll ever have to buy.

When you are shopping for your new pizzelle iron, it’s best to go online and check reviews to see what other buyers are saying about the one you are interested in.  When more than one reviewer writes about something good or bad about the product, keep that comment in mind.  After all, chances are that if many people are complaining about a feature, it will be trouble for you, too.

When looking at reviews, look for some specific points.  For example, does the iron maintain its temperature well?  While there will be temperature variances during cooking, one that holds a temperature well will result in more even cooking.

Also, do the cookies tend to stick to the iron when they're removed?  A nonstick iron is not essential for this.  An oiled aluminum plate shouldn't stick either.  Also, is it generally easy for you to use, with latches that aren’t difficult to manipulate and accurate indicator lights that are easy to see?  Is it easy to clean up, or does it take a bit of work to get into some difficult corners or wipe off the remaining oil after using?  Think of these things now so that you don’t run into problems later after you’ve selected and purchased your iron.

By doing a bit of research and by making sure that the features you need are included in the iron you want, you can make sure that your pizzelle maker will serve you well for many years.

Photo by alfredo-9