Melissa Kruk shares her recipe for Italian Pizzelles cookies for Seacrest Country Day School‘s cookie exchange.
Shortly after Melissa Kruk moved to Naples from New Jersey in 2011, she met Ursula Boyd, who later approached her to join the crew of hosts. “All I heard was ‘meetings, eight dozen cookies and holiday time,’ and I thought, oh gosh,” she says with a laugh. “It is work, but it doesn’t feel like work because we have so much fun.” Kruk bakes Italian pizzelles, based on a recipe from her friend Trudy. When Melissa’s husband was traveling a lot for work, she says Trudy would visit all the time. “On one early trip her carry-on was so heavy, I thought what the heck did she pack? It turns out she brought a pizzelle iron to make a fresh batch here.” The recipe has since become a Kruk family favorite.
You need a pizzelle iron to make these thin, waffle-like cookies. Pizzelle irons are sold at specialty stores as well as major retail outlets, such as Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Italian Pizzelles
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter (one stick)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. anise seed
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- Powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)
Method:
- Beat eggs and sugar.
- Add cooled melted butter, vanilla and anise. Sift flour and baking powder, then add to mixture. Batter will be stiff enough to be dropped by spoon into a pizzelle iron.
- Use a pizzelle iron to cook in batches—most will make three cookies at a time. In total, this recipe yields 30 pizzelles.
- Serve plain or dusted with powdered sugar.
Cookie photography by Vanessa Rogers
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