One of my favorite things about the holidays growing up was making the trek back to New York every year to visit our very large, very Italian family. No matter what else was happening, my grandma would always have a plate of pizelle cookies on the table. More than any other sweet, they optimize the Christmas season for me.
So this year, in her honor, I’ve desired to remake the classic cookies in a new + fresh way. I collaborated with my favorite baker Athena and this colorful, fun, layered version emerged. Perfect for a standout holiday cake, a great present for the neighbors, or even sweet ornaments for the tree. A batch of pizelles makes A LOT of cookies – so with one recipe you could create all three ideas.
Here are the directions for making a basic pizzelle (makes about 30 5″ pizzelle cookies); 3 large eggs, 3/4 cups sugar, 2 teaspoon, vanilla extract, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter – melted and cooled, 1-3/4 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Melt butter and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until light yellow, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add melted butter and vanilla. Beat until blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the liquids into flour mix and blend until just incorporated.
Follow the instructions on your pizzelle maker to bake the pizzelles.
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting for layering the amazing cookies with: 2 cups heavy cream – chilled, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
Pour the cream, vanilla, and sugar into a deep bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer attached with the balloon whisk. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, about 10 minutes. It must be stiff enough to spread – use immediately. If frosting begins to soften, place the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes, then whip again until soft peaks form.
Here are the modern and fresh variations we used.
Make Colored Pizzelles by adding a few drops of food dye or gel to pizzelle batter and mix well. Add more to achieve desired shade.
Make Chocolate Pizzelles by following the basic pizzelle recipe except omit the vanilla. Add 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Continue reading