Description
Enjoy these traditional oven-baked pizzelles, Italian waffle cookies flavored with fragrant anise extract. Crisp and lightly golden, these delicate cookies are perfect dusted with powdered sugar for a sweet, festive treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 tsp anise extract
For Serving
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt until well blended.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, melted and cooled unsalted butter, and anise extract to combine thoroughly.
- Form Dough: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until incorporated. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the chilled dough into approximately 1-ounce balls (around 1 heaping tablespoon each), lightly dusting your hands or work surface with flour to prevent sticking. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets and gently flatten each with the palm of your hand. If you have a cookie stamp, press it into the dough to create an indentation or pattern.
- Bake: Bake the pizzelles for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are lightly golden on the bottoms and the edges are crisp.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets so they firm up. Once cooled, dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Be sure to chill the dough before baking to ensure proper texture and ease of shaping.
- If you don’t have a cookie stamp, flattening with your hand will still produce crisp, tasty pizzelles.
- Store pizzelles in an airtight container to maintain their crispness for up to one week.
- You can substitute anise extract with vanilla or almond extract if preferred, though it will change the classic flavor slightly.
- For a thinner, crispier cookie, flatten the dough balls more before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pizzelles, Italian cookies, anise cookies, oven-baked pizzelles, traditional pizzelle recipe, Italian dessert, crisp cookies
