Almond Pizzelles

In honor of St. Joseph's Day, the St. Patrick of the Italian and Polish, I decided to make a batch of pizzelles.  My Italian grandmother used to make these all the time.  After so many years of making them, she had the recipe and technique perfected.  I, on the other hand, still need some work on the technique.


As I was making these thin, crisp butter cookies, I thought I would do some research on them.  After a quick Google search, I found the following.


The word pizzelle means, loosely, "small, flat, and round" in Italian.  These waffle-type cookies are made by pouring batter between the two plates of an iron, which is then held over a fire or heated electrically.



Pizzelles were first made in the south-central area of Abruzzi (now the Region of Abruzzo) in the 8th century.  Two small towns each claim to have originated the treat, which are featured in their yearly festivals.  The first, Salle, in the Province of Pescara, celebrate the festival of Beato Roberto every July.  Celebrants walk down the street carrying branches on which pizzelle are hung as an offering.  And the second, Cocullo, in the Province of L'Aquila, the celebrants eat pizzelle during the festival of their patron saint, Domenico.  They cover his statue in snakes and carry it around the town.

These days, pizzelle can be found at almost any celebration in the Abruzzo region and across Italy.  It is a rare Italian wedding that does not serve pizzelle at the sweets table.  These cookies are closely associated with family; in fact, pizzelle irons have been fashioned with the pattern of a family's crest.  Pizzelle are also popular in countries with large Italian populations, such as Canada, the U.S.A., and Australia.

You can make these cookies in several flavors.  The most popular, my least favorite, is anise.  These are almond flavored.  The other varieties include vanilla, chocolate, , swirl, rum, orange, and any other you care to try!

There are several different recipes but this one came with my pizzelle baker.  I will try and post others.

Pizzelles

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon almond extract

1.  Beat eggs and sugar. Add cooled melted butter or margarine, vanilla, and almond.

2. Sift flour and baking powder and add to egg mixture.  Batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon.  Refrigerate for minimum 1 hour.

3. Following manufacturer's directions, preheat the baker a minimum of 15 minutes. Give both the top and bottom plates a quick spray of cooking spray.  Place spoonful of batter on the hot baker centered but slightly to the rear.  Bake for 30 seconds exactly for light golden.  You will have to experiment with amount and time of baking.