Welcome to day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Around the World series. Today we have chocolate dipped pizzelles. Featuring Kitchen Knead’s CucinaPro Pizzelle Baker.
I grew up never having heard of pizzelles. A few years ago, my mother-in-law was talking about how she would love to have a pizzelle iron. “What’s that?” I asked myself, intrigued. I did a little research and quickly discovered what they are. I was completely fascinated. This is something right up my alley. Pizzelles are an Italian cookie that is thin and crisp. The flavors vary a lot, but traditionally, they’re flavored with anise seed.
It took me a while to finally get myself a pizzelle iron for whatever reason, but when I did, I set to work making pizzelles. However imperfectly they turned out, they tasted amazing. I ate one and was immediately addicted. And so was my husband. And my kids.
Instead of flavoring mine with anise, I usually flavor mine with almond emulsion. (Emulsions are what the bakeries use. They have a stronger flavor that doesn’t bake out.) It’s a more commonly accepted flavor than anise is, so that’s what I typically make. Plus, it makes a perfect base for dipping in chocolate. Normally I would use a semi-sweet chocolate like our Midnight Delight, but not wanting to overpower the delicate flavor of the pizzelle, I chose milk chocolate for these. My favorite milk chocolate for dipping is Venetian.
Now, I also thinned my chocolate with some cocoa butter. I did this because I didn’t want a thick shell of chocolate on my cookies. It would overpower the cookie. So, to create a thinner shell, I added some cocoa butter to my chocolate. The amount of cocoa butter you use is up to you. If you want your chocolate thinner, add more cocoa butter. If you want it thicker, add less or none at all. I added about 2 melted tablespoons to my 1-ish cup of melted chocolate.
Where do I Find a Pizzelle Iron?
This CucinaPro Pizzelle Baker iron Kitchen Kneads carries makes 2 pizzelles at a time that are about 5 inches in diameter.
So, give these amazing little cookies a try! They’ve become a Christmas tradition in my home and they could become the same for you. Your options are endless depending on the flavors you use. Dip them in chocolate or leave them plain. Make them your way.
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