7
Always unplug the PizzellePro
®
immediately after use. Never leave it unattended when
plugged in. Children should not be allowed to use a pizzelle maker except in the
presence of an attentive adult.
8. The PizzellePro
®
, when unplugged, cools faster when its lid is left fully open. Store only when
cold. Save shelf space by storing the PizzellePro
®
upright resting on its hinged flat end.
PIZZELLE TRADITIONS
It is generally believed that pizzelles originated in a middle region of Italy in ancient times to
mark an annual celebration. Initially baked over an open fire with relatively simple but effective
irons, the early pizzelles often were proudly embossed with the family crest or some hint of the
village of origin.
Over time it became tradition to use pizzelles to celebrate any holiday or festive occasion but
inevitably there were pizzelles for everyone at Christmas and Easter. The modern patterns found
on these delicious waffle cookies are most commonly floral on one side and a woven basket-
like pattern on the other.
The recent increased popularity of pizzelles is the result of greater recognition of their delicious
versatility. For example, pizzelles, when still hot, can be formed into cylinders, cones and mini-
baskets that can hold a wide variety of delicious fillings for festive occasions. The range of taste
experiences that can be created with fillings of formed pizzelles is virtually endless.
SOME FAVORITE PIZZELLE RECIPES
The basic pizzelle recipe has undergone little change through the years. However, there are
variations based on selection of cooking oils including; butter, margarine, vegetable oil or short-
ening, and, of course, many flavorings including, anise, vanilla or almond extract. Even rum
extracts and whiskey are used by some in pizzelles.
The fundamental ingredients of the pizzelle are eggs, flour and sugar and the relative amount
of these ingredients can be varied slightly to match your preferences of taste and texture.
Once all ingredients are fully blended, select and test a small teaspoon or a demi-tasse spoon
you plan to use for dispensing and dropping the batter onto the pizzelle patterns.Consistency of
the batter will be stiff but it should be adjusted until it drops off the spoon as a ribbon in two to
three seconds. The spoon will retain some of the mix. If the mix seems too stiff, stir in several
tablespoons of water and retest flow from the spoon. If the mix seems too thin, blend into the
mix a few tablespoons or enough flour to give the right consistency.
You can slightly adjust the amount of baking powder in any recipe. It is necessary to use just
enough to ensure the three pizzelles fill out completely during the baking cycle. More than that
will do little for the texture and increase the likelihood that the thickness of the pizzelles will
exceed the 3/16 inch designed thickness.
Commonly, pizzelle recipes use 3, 6 or 12 eggs. Most recipes start with 6 eggs, which will make
about 150 pizzelles in the PizzellePro
®
.
We recommend first a family recipe from Caterina Casola of Buffalo, New York. This recipe has
been handed down more generations in Italy than her family can remember. Year after year her
delicious recipe has been used to produce thousands of pizzelles eagerly awaited by the
family and a host of friends.
and you can either use a small spatula to push it all off or leave some residue on the spoon for
the next batch.
THE BAKING PROCEDURE
Prepare the pizzelle batter and proceed as follows:
1. Set the color control dial between 3 and 3 1/2 and allow the PizzellePro
®
to heat up as
described above. When the red light turns off and the green “Ready” light turns on, open the
lid and, using a demitasse spoon, drop a spoon of batter onto the center of each of the three
pizzelle patterns. Close the lid immediately to spread the batter across each pattern.
2. The batter should be thick but fluid enough to slowly drop off of the spoon within two or
three seconds. Place one spoon of batter quickly on each of the three patterns and promptly
close the lid, making certain the locking latch is fully fastened. Avoid putting too much bat-
ter on grids, as an excess will cause an overflow and increase the clean up time. If you pre-
fer pizzelles with irregular edges, use less batter; otherwise use more batter to produce full
rounder patterned pizzelles with more regular circular edges. You can if you wish use scis-
sors to trim the edges of baked pizzelles to create rounder patterned edges.
3. If the color control dial is properly set (between 3 and 3 1/2), the red light will come on briefly
sometime during the short baking cycle and when it turns off, the green “Ready” light will
come on again signaling the baking cycle is complete. The normal baking cycle as indicated
by the red/green light cycle will be about 45 to 60 seconds. You will probably find it conven-
ient to use the lights to pace your baking cycle or, as an alternative, you can of course use
an auxiliary timer.
You will need to make only small changes (1/4 to 1/2 division) to the color control dial to
affect substantially the color of the pizzelle.
You will find that you can use a slightly higher setting, say 1/2 number higher, and bake
pizzelles in 30 to 45 seconds. In that event, it may prove easier to use a timer and disregard
the cycle of the red/green lights.
4. You may at times wish to inspect the pizzelle before it is fully baked. Wait 30-40 seconds
before attempting to open the lid. If the pizzelle is not cooked sufficiently, you will sense some
resistance as you attempt to open the lid. If you do sense resistance, let the pizzelle cook
another 10 seconds or so and you should be able to easily and safely lift the lid for inspec-
tion. If needed, bake a few seconds longer to obtain the color you wish. You can make minor
changes to the dial setting in order to bake a little faster or slower on the next bake cycle.
5. When the pizzelles are done, release the latch and open the lid. Lift and remove them with
a plastic fork or small plastic spatula in order to minimize scratching of the non-stick sur-
face. After removal of the pizzelles, you can immediately spoon the new batter and repeat
the cycle. The PizzellePro
®
recovers instantly after each bake cycle and is ready to make
the next pizzelles.
6. If you do not start the next pizzelles immediately, the PizzellePro
®
can be closed until you
are again ready to bake. The green light will stay on until the plates cool slightly then the
red light will light again briefly to keep the plates at the optimum temperature. When the
green light comes on again, batter can be added for the next bake cycle.
7. When finished baking, be certain to unplug the PizzellePro
®
. Only then is the power to the
pizzelle maker switched off.
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