Warm up on a Winter afternoon
By Making Toasty, buttery Pizzelles
by katie mavrich
Photography by Megan Wylie Ruffing

The pizzelle iron is beat-up, greasy, and worn from many years of use, and the poinsettia and diamond-imprinted plates are a deep, dark, seasoned brown. It’s my grandmother’s, and it is easily 40 or 50 years old, but year after year, that trusty iron turns out delicious, prettily patterned pizzelles, the batter mixed up from the recipe printed on the handle of the iron. Last year, while helping Gram make the many dozens for family feasts over the holidays, I wished the iron made more than two cookies at a time. Making pizzelles is indeed a labor of love — the first few pairs never peel away from the iron in perfect shape, as we work to get the hang of the iron’s temperature and timing. A few hours later, we have dozens upon dozens of treats, dotted with anise seeds (the more the better is our motto). In fact, my dad likes the flavor of anise so much, that he’ll have Gram use an entire bottle of anise seed in one batch of batter. In an attempt to replicate this holiday joy of ours a bit early and to pass this time-honored tradition on to our readers, members of the Edible Allegheny staff gathered in the kitchen to make a giant stack of warm, vanilla and anise-infused wafers.  As we munched on the imperfectly shaped pizzelles (so as not to waste, of course), we whipped up some hot chocolate and got to dipping — yum! We’ve also gathered up yummy tips, recipes, and traditions from other local pizzelle lovers for you to enjoy.

Patty Gerasole’s Pizzelle Tips

“Memories of my mother making pizzelles are so special that it’s hard for me to give up the recipe, even though there’s nothing secretive about it. She stood by the stove in front of hot flames for hours, using the old-fashioned longhandled iron that felt like it weighed about 10 pounds, making one at a time. I feel guilty, even today, remembering that as she labored to make each pizzelle, my brothers and I were at the other side, eating them. The finished batch was always missing a couple dozen.”

1.   Don’t heat the iron up too far in advance. Starting with a too hot (or too cold) iron will cause them to stick to the griddle. Each iron is different, and you will learn the “personality” of yours with use.

2.   Keep a small grill brush handy in case they do stick. Brush the griddle clean, and then wipe it with butter. Start over.

3.   Store the finished pizzelles in an airtight container in the fridge. They will stay crisp and fresh for weeks — if no one eats them before then!  Girasole, 733 Copeland Street, Shadyside. 412.682.2130. www.girasolepgh.com

Recipe Variations

• Make the rolled recipe with cream cheese or ricotta cheese filling.
• Switch up the flavor profile by subbing out the vanilla extract (or adding to it) with anise or orange flavored extract.
• Try adding in a few heaping tablespoons of Dutch cocoa to the batter to make chocolate pizzelles.
• Melt chocolate wafers . dip in the ends of the cookies for extra crave worthy Treats .
• Mix dill into the pizzelle batter and top with a salmon mousse. Pair with a crisp riesling.