As a child, pizzelles were one of those much looked forward to treats of Christmas. My Italian grandmother would bake for days and days producing towers of neatly stacked pizzelles that we impatiently watched grow until Christmas Even when we were finally allowed to start eating them. Pizzelles are a light, delicate cookie with a hint of flavor (typically anise, almond or vanilla) that adds a subtle surprise to an otherwise unassuming cookie. They go really well with a cup of coffee or tea, and are even better when paired with ice cream.
Why wait until Christmas to enjoy a fresh pizzelle?
That got me to thinking, why do we only eat pizzelles at Christmas? Why not make a from-scratch batch now and pair it with ice cream? They are super easy to make, keep well and, best of all, can be molded into different shapes or simply enjoyed as-is. Better yet, pair it with fresh ice cream made with local honey from B-Line Ice Cream in Narrowsburg!
Pizzelles are the perfect compliment to ice cream, especially when they are shaped in the form of a bowl!
THE RECIPE: PIZZELLE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Ingredients
Pizzelles
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon anise or almond extract (optional)
Ice Cream Sandwich
Nutella
Ice Cream
Step 1: Prepare the Pizzelle Iron
Preheat pizzelle maker (on Cuisinart use Setting 3) while preparing batter. Set aside a small cup of vegetable oil and pastry brush or can of vegetable oil spray for use on the iron (I find the spray can gum up over time and prefer to brush on a bit of oil but either will do the trick).
Step 2: Make the Batter
In a small bowl stir to combine flour and baking powder; set aside. In a medium bowl place eggs and sugar, use a hand-held mixer to mix on medium speed for 1 minute, until thickened. On low speed, add the melted butter and vanilla in a steady stream and mix until combined, about 15 seconds. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 10 to 15 seconds. Do not over mix.
Step 3: Make the Pizzelles
Lightly pray the top and bottom grids with vegetable oil spray or lightly brush flavorless vegetable oil with a pastry brush. Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of batter into the center of each hot pizzelle plate, close and lock lid. Cook until indicator light comes on (on a Cuisinart it will be a green light), otherwise about 2-3 minutes.
Pizzelles can be made darker or lighter and molded into shapes.
If the batter is too thick (doesn’t reach the edges of the iron to form a couple cookie) try adding additional flavored extract, a teaspoon at a time, too loosen it up. If the waffle is too light next time bake a bit longer or, if too dark, bake a bit less. Remove pizzelle with a small rubber spatula and place on a wire rack to cool. Alternatively, place hot pizzelle in a muffin tin to mold into a cup or wrap around a cone mold to create a waffle cone. When cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Step 4: Make the Pizzelle Ice Cream Sandwich
Once the pizzelles are fully cooled, gently spread nutella on one side of an even number of cookies (so if you want to make one ice cream sandwich), spread Nutella on one side of each of two cookies). Take one pizzelle and add your desired amount of ice cream (I used vanilla) on top*, add the second pizzelle to form a sandwich, place on a cookie sheet or plate, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
*There are a couple of ways to add ice cream. You can soften the ice cream a bit first so it is spreadable or, if you have a pint, you can cut off the container and then slice the desired amount. I went with the soften + spread method because I wanted to make a lot of sandwiches and it was more cost-effective to buy a big container of ice cream. The pint cut + slice method will definitely look neater but will cost more (since the ice cream sold in pints tends to be fancier/more expensive) so something to take into account if you want to make a lot of sandwiches. Either will taste great so it’s more a matter of how perfect you want the sandwiches to look.
Please tell us what you think. We really want to know!
Tell us what you think!
Please comment below if you try our Pizzelle Ice Cream Sandwich recipe and let us know how it goes! Find all of Brooklyn to the Catskills‘ recipes in the Food section of our website. We’d love to hear what you think about our other recipes too!
