Pizzelles

Pizelles are traditional Italian Christmas cookies.  Both my Grandmother and my mother have made them for years, and now it's my turn.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 2 tsp Anise flavouring
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 5-1/2 cups flour (approx)

Steps:

Mix all the ingredients together until well blended, using your hands at the end as it can be quite stiff.  If your dough is too wet, add a bit more flour.

Roll the dough into small half inch balls, place in the middle of the hot press and slowly close it tight.  It takes a couple of trial cookies to get your balls just the right size, not too small like the one below, but not so big that they leak out the sides and make a mess.

These cookies do requires a Pizzelle press. You can get an electric one, which my Grandmother used, but I found hers made the cookies too small and too thick.  I much prefer this one, though it does mean making the cookies one by one (most electric ones do two at a time)

Because there is so much oil in the dough, there is little need to oil the press before you use it.  Just make sure it's very hot to start.  The risk of these cookies is that you will likely set off the smoke detector at least once and will end up with all the windows open, even though it's December.  The oil also splatters and can cause small flare ups on the burner, so you must be very attentive to each cookie.  Once your press is hot enough it only takes about a minute per side to get them cooked just right.