I first met Nadia Albano over Instagram. We connected over a love of Italian food, and the rest is history! Did I mention she's also an amazing hair stylist, makeup artist and runs a cool t-shirt line? Talk about multi-talented!
So one day, Nadia and I decided to bake together. Since we both share an Italian background, we wanted to make something that stayed true to our roots. Sitting in Nadia's chair at her salon while she was cutting my hair, we decided to make pizzelle. But not just any old pizzelle, we wanted to jazz them up a bit! So we made classic pizzelle (of course!) plus pizzelle cups filled with sweet mascarpone and berries. We even made pizzelle tacos filled with gelato and topped with nutella. All the yums!
We definitely had a fun afternoon, and I always like it when an Instagram connection becomes a real-life friend.
So what exactly are pizzelle?
I'd say they're the Italian version of waffles. They're made with flour, sugar and eggs, and get their special round shape and design from a special appliance called a pizzelle maker (similar to a waffle iron). But they're not soft like waffles, they're harder like cookies, so I guess in the end. pizzelle are a cross between a cookie and a waffle! My mom usually makes them at Christmas time, but I think Italians make them all year round.
The traditional pizzelle have anise extract in them, but I've seen people make chocolate versions, or even marble ones!
Tips for making pizzelle
- For the classic pizzelle, definitely use anise extract if you can find it. I found mine at a specialty food store. It adds such a unique flavor to the pizzelle
- For the classic pizzelle, you want them to be a nice golden brown in color before you take them off the pizzelle maker
- For the pizzelle cups and tacos, you want to undercook those slightly so that they mold easier
- You don't have to grease the pizzelle maker with butter every time you add batter. You can add butter every few batches or so
Other Dessert Recipes You Might Like
- Grilled Peaches with Whipped Vanilla Bean and Honey Ricotta
- Linzer Cookies with Italian Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry Lemon Crostata
If you’ve tried making these Pizzelle or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Recipe
Pizzelle 3 Ways
Why make pizzelle one way when you can make them 3 ways? This recipe includes a recipe for classic pizzelle. And pizzelle cups with a sweet mascaprone filling and berries. The third recipe is a pizzelle taco filled with gelato and topped with nutella! It can't get much better than that can it?!
Ingredients
Classic Pizzelle
- 6 eggs
- 4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
- 3.5 cups all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 cup butter, melted, and cooled to room temperature
- 1.5 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon anise extract
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- extra butter to grease pizzelle maker
Pizzelle Cups with Mascarpone and fresh fruit filling
- 1.5 cups mascarpone
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh mixed berries, cut into small pieces
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Pizzelle gelato tacos
- 2 cups vanilla gelato
- ¼ cup nutella, softened in microwave for 30 seconds
- ¼ cup coconut shavings
- fresh strawberries for garnish
- 6 hard-shell tacos (to mold and shape the pizzelle tacos)
Instructions
To make the classic pizzelle
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In a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar together until well incorporated, about one minute.
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Add melted butter, vanilla, and anise extract, and continue to mix until well incorporated.
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Add flour and baking powder to egg mixture, and mix, until a batter forms. It will be stiff enough to be dropped on to the pizzelle make with a spoon.
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Heat up your pizzelle maker. Once heated, grease pizzelle maker with butter (top and bottom).
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Drop about 1 1/12 tablespoon of batter on to the pizzelle maker, close it, and let the pizzelle form and cook for about 1-2 minutes. The pizzelle should be slightly golden.
You may need to adjust the amount of batter you use per pizzelle based on the size of your pizzelle maker.
For every 2-3 batches of pizzelle, grease pizzelle maker with butter. -
With a spatula, remove the pizzelle from the pizzelle maker, and stack them on a plate, and allow them to cool.
Pizzelle cups with mascarpone and mixed berries
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When making the pizzelle, undercook them slightly so they mold easily. Remove from the pizzelle maker, and using a small bowl, place the hot pizzelle in the bowl, and form to the shape of the bowl. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.
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In the meantime, in a stand mixer, whip mascarpone, sugar and vanilla together, until a light, cream-like texture forms, 3-5 minutes.
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Mix berries, lemon juice and sugar together, and set aside.
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Once pizzelle bowl has cooled completely, remove from ceramic bowl, spoon in mascarpone, and top with about 2 tablespoon of the fruit mixture per pizzelle bowl.
Pizzelle tacos with vanilla gelato and nutella
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When making the pizzelle, undercook them slightly so they mold easily. Remove from the pizzelle maker, and using a taco as a mold, place the hot pizzelle around the taco to form a taco shape. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.
To make the pizzelle taco extra firm, you can place it in the freezer to harden up. -
Once pizzelle taco has cooled, remove from taco mold, spoon in gelato, drizzle with nutella, sprinkle with coconut flakes, and top with sliced strawberry, or any other garnish you prefer. Serve and enjoy!
Also, thank you to our amazing photographer, Hayley Alice Photo for taking all the beautiful photos!
