Gluten-Free Pizzelles

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2 years ago one of the gifts I asked for for Christmas was a pizzelle maker. If you aren’t from an Italian family, you might not even know what a pizzelle is: A pizzelle is a thin, wafer-like cookie often flavored with lemon or anise with a snowflake pattern. It’s a traditional Italian cookie and one of my family’s favorites. To cook them, you need a special iron. These used to be made out of iron and you’d hold them over a hot flame but now Cuisinart makes a great electric press. This year was my first time making them gluten-free and with a few changes to the original recipe they came out fantastic! I’m happy I can still enjoy these traditional treats even under some untraditional circumstances.

Gluten-Free Pizzelles

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 teaspoons anise extract
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour(I like Bob’s Red Mill’s)

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In a large bowl, Sift together your flour and sugar. Add in the oil and anise and whisk. Continue whisking as you beat in the eggs and the dough has come together.

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Heat a standard pizzelle maker until it’s ready. Take about a 1-inch round scoop of dough and put it in the center of the press. Close the lid and cook about 3 to 4 minutes until both sides have browned. Remove the cookies to a plate to cool.

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As any Italian grandmother will tell you(well, not my Italian grandmother. My Italian grandmother would rather have a Little Debbie snack cake), there’s no real “science” to cooking pizzelles. You add as much dough looks right and cook until they don’t need to be cooked any more. The more you make these, the better you’ll get at judging the right amounts and cooking times.

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These are a great homemade gift to anyone who likes a cookie. They’re flavorful and festive and perfect with a cup of tea at the end of the night.

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34 Responses to Gluten-Free Pizzelles
  1. rebecca lustig
    December 28, 2010 | 10:05 am

    omg my neighbor makes the BEST pizzelles. i love anything italian and christmas related.

    yours look fantastic, just like ones WITH gluton 🙂

  2. rebecca lustig
    December 28, 2010 | 10:06 am

    and by ‘gluton’ i mean ‘gluten’

  3. The Candid RD
    December 28, 2010 | 10:06 am

    What a fabulous gift!!!
    Thanks for the recipe. Now I need one of those cool gadgets 🙂 I have a waffle cone maker, which is very similar, and like you said, the more you make the better they get! It’s not hard, but it does take some practice.

  4. Kaitlin
    December 28, 2010 | 10:17 am

    Yum!! I love pizelles! Also these photos look awesome– the new light box is really bumping up your food pictures 🙂

  5. christina
    December 28, 2010 | 10:24 am

    didnt’ even know pizzelle makers existed. that’s so fun. and yours came out beautiful!

  6. Kate (What Kate is Cooking)
    December 28, 2010 | 11:47 am

    Haha, sounds like my Italian grandmother! I think she has a pizzelle maker, though. I might have to steal it 🙂

  7. Food & Other Things
    December 28, 2010 | 11:49 am

    That’s so cool you have your own pizzelle maker…and what a great gift idea!

  8. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
    December 28, 2010 | 12:15 pm

    Pizzelles…my mom and grandma made them when i was growing up. But not GF, haha!

    Great job, Evan!

  9. Kelly
    December 28, 2010 | 12:39 pm

    I love pizzelles…I think they taste like waffle cones!

  10. ceecee
    December 28, 2010 | 12:42 pm

    I want a pizzelle maker! These look great.
    ceecee
    http://www.withinthekitchen.blogspot.com

  11. ceecee
    December 28, 2010 | 12:43 pm

    looks amazing

  12. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine
    December 28, 2010 | 2:45 pm

    A patient of my dad’s makes him pizelles every year, but this post reminds me that he didn’t bring any home this year. Either he’s hoarding them or he didn’t get any…they’re so good though!!

  13. Nicole, RD
    December 28, 2010 | 4:07 pm

    Gorgeous, Evan! My grandmother-in-law, (ha!) is Italian and she makes anise and almond pizzelles every year. I so very much so look forward to them because I can’t make them! No pizzelle maker for me 🙁 Maybe someday 🙂

  14. Cindy Waffles
    December 28, 2010 | 6:01 pm

    Those look so wonderful! Makes me want to go pick up a pizzelle maker now!

  15. Amanda @ bakingwithoutabox
    December 28, 2010 | 7:32 pm

    They are so pretty!

  16. Courtney
    December 28, 2010 | 8:44 pm

    Yum! I love pizzelles 🙂 some kids ate Oreos, I ate Italian crunchy cookies 😀

  17. veggietestkitchen
    December 28, 2010 | 9:42 pm

    when I saw the post title ‘pizelle’ i honestly thought i was in for some pizza! haha. i’m so glad i was wrong. i’ve seen these cookies a few times, but never knew the name or how to make them for that matter. your pics look great. were you ever able to make them some other way before you got the cuisinart iron?

    • Wannabe Chef
      December 28, 2010 | 9:48 pm

      From what I know, they’ve always been made by some sort of press. I’ve never had any other than cuisinart. I have to admit that the electric power makes it really easy to cook w/o fuss.

      • veggietestkitchen
        December 29, 2010 | 2:10 am

        good to know. so, there’s no way to bootleg them 😉

  18. Alycia [Fit n Fresh]
    December 28, 2010 | 10:17 pm

    I love pizzelles – withOUT the anise. Ew that black licorice taste is GROSS!

  19. Blog is the New Black
    December 28, 2010 | 10:39 pm

    LOVE pizelles!

  20. Christi Silbaugh
    December 29, 2010 | 1:20 am

    These look AMAZING! I wish I had a pizelle maker.

  21. Kristina at spabettie
    December 29, 2010 | 2:47 am

    these look GREAT. mine must be stuck in the mail? 😀

  22. Lisa
    December 29, 2010 | 9:38 am

    Very pretty pizzelles. I’m thinking about getting a maker because they look so good.

  23. Baking 'n' Books
    December 29, 2010 | 9:52 pm

    I didn’t know they had Pizelle makers! Your photos are stunning!

  24. Amy
    December 29, 2010 | 11:16 pm

    Beautiful pizelles! I wish I had an iron ;)!

  25. Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
    December 30, 2010 | 11:01 am

    Man, I should have asked for one of those for Christmas! They look lovely!

  26. Stephanie
    January 1, 2011 | 12:10 pm

    My mother in law is Italian and makes the best pizelles. I will have to give this recipe a go…

    Thanks!

  27. Den
    February 11, 2011 | 6:54 pm

    We just make these pizzelles. The recipe needs to include adding water at the end to get a pancake batter consistency, as the original recipe will yield a much too thick dough. Once the recipe had been adjusted, the pizzelles came out very well. Adding cinnamon, or orange/cardamom, instead or the anise create very good pizzelles also.

    Den

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  29. Patty Demase
    December 12, 2011 | 9:30 pm

    12-12-2011
    I just finished making the gluten free pizzelles for my son, who has to have wheat free, gluten free cookies, bread etc. They were delicious. they tasted just like the regular ones that I’ve been making for years. The only thing that I did different was to add a little bit of milk to the dough. Thanks so much for the excellent recipe!

  30. Ginny
    November 24, 2012 | 2:57 pm

    Have been makig pizzelles for years and never had to add water. Do not know if that is because of the gluten free flour. Will be making them this afternoon. So thanks to those for the heads up.
    The holidays are not the holidays without pizzelles.

  31. Melinda
    November 22, 2013 | 8:34 pm

    I have a box of Betty Crocker all purpose gluten free rice flour blend….can I use this for the gluten free pizzelle’s?

    • Wannabe Chef
      November 22, 2013 | 9:37 pm

      Hi Melinda! I haven’t tried that brand of gf flour before but if it says it can be used as a 1:1 substitute for all purpose flour then absolutely.