Anise Pizzelles

Pizzelles are the thin, stamped Italian wafer cookies that show up at every holiday table from Newark to Naples. This version goes heavy on the anise with a full ounce of extract, which gives them that unmistakable licorice perfume the second you crack the iron open.

The batter is simpler than most cookie doughs: six eggs, sugar, melted butter, flour, and baking powder beaten together at low speed. No chilling, no resting. A touch of lemon extract in the background brightens the anise without competing with it.

The key to good pizzelles is batter amount and timing. A heaping tablespoon per cookie is the sweet spot for most irons. Too much and the batter squeezes out the sides in a ragged mess. Thirty seconds of pressing gives you a cookie that’s golden, lightly patterned, and crisp once it cools on the wire rack. They’ll feel slightly flexible when you first pull them off the iron but firm up within a minute.

This batch makes about 4 ½ dozen, which sounds like a lot until you realize how fast they disappear.

Chef Tips

• Grease the pizzelle iron lightly before the first batch only. The butter in the batter keeps things nonstick after that
• Work quickly between batches. The batter thickens as it sits, so give it a stir every few rounds
• Lift each pizzelle off the iron while it’s still warm and flexible. Wait too long and it’ll crack
• Store in an airtight container between layers of wax paper. They stay crisp for up to 2 weeks

Variations

• Chocolate pizzelles: Replace ½ cup flour with cocoa powder and swap the anise for vanilla extract
• Cannoli shells: While still warm, wrap each pizzelle around a cannoli tube form and let it cool into a cylinder. Fill with sweetened ricotta