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Makes
40-50 depending on iron size
Author Notes
Pizzelle are a holiday tradition in my mother's family, who hail from the Abruzzi region of Italy, where pizzelle are traditional confections. Every year, my mom and grandma would stand over multiple irons, scooping the dough and pressing the cookies. Extension cords were necessary, as each woman wielded multiple pizzelle irons. My mom and grandma loved to flavor the cookies either anise or orange.
Today, I proudly own four pizzelle irons and Meyer Lemon is one of my favorite flavors. I decided to sub Meyer Lemon zest in the batter last year and the resultant batch was one of my best ever. Some tweaking of my grandmother's recipe resulted in beautifully crisp, white snowflakes with flecks of gold. For dinner parties, you can form the pizzelle into cups by draping the hot cookie over a drinking glass or ramekin. Fill with pastry cream, curd, or mousse and fresh fruit. Pizzelle make great waffle cones and cups, and are a perfect match for gelato. —Hilarybee
Test Kitchen Notes
Hillarybee's pizzelle are lovely crisp, buttery vanilla cookies perfumed with Meyer lemon. The touch of orange extract really makes the citrus shine. Plus, they are beautiful. Once the batter is made, it only takes a few seconds to create a beautifully patterned thin cookie. The simple pizzelle would be excellent served with any of the suggestions in Hillarybee's notes, or ice cream and fruit or sandwiched with a little bit of lemon curd. —Stephanie Bourgeois
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Ingredients
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1 3/4 cups
Granulated Sugar
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6
Large Eggs, room temp
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2
Sticks of Butter, melted and cooled
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3 teaspoons
Vanilla Extract
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1 teaspoon
Pure Orange Extract
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Zest of 3 Meyer Lemons
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4 teaspoons
Baking Powder
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4 cups
All-Purpose Flour, spooned into measuring cup
Directions
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Combine the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well incorporated. The eggs must be at least room temperature. Cold eggs will result in an unworkable batter.
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Slowly drizzle the melted butter into the mixture, while mixing on medium speed. Add the extracts then the zest.
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On low speed, add the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Alternate between medium and low speed while beating in the flour. (I turn it to low while pouring in the flour; medium to incorporate the flour before adding more).
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The batter should have a satin sheen to it, but should be light and stiff. If your batter is too liquid, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time until the batter is stiff.
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Using a tablespoon scoop, place dollops of batter into the iron. Repeat 20-25 more times depending on iron size. The cookies take about 25-30 seconds in the iron. Fresh, hot cookies can be rolled or shaped into cups.
Dedicated locavore. I spend my weekends on the back roads (often lost!) looking for the best ingredients Ohio has to offer. I am often accompanied by my husband, Mr. Radar and our dog, Buddy. Born in West Virginia, raised in Michigan, I moved to Ohio for college and have lived there on and off since. I love to meet farmers and local producers. Cooking is an extension of this love.
You can follow my move from government analyst to cottage industrialist and view the food I cook for my personal mad scientist on thistleconfections.com
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