Pizzelles

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. anise seed or extract (optional)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat pizzelle iron. While preheating make batter.

2. Beat eggs and sugar. Add cooled melted butter, vanilla and anise. Sift flour and baking powder and add to egg mixture. Batter will be stiff enough to be dropped by spoonfuls. *Batter can be refrigerated to be used at a later time.

3. Use a pastry brush to carefully coat the entire pizelle iron surface of both halves of the pizzelle iron with oil or shortening. Spray shortening works well also. You do not need to repeat after every pizzelle, just the first one of the batch.

4. Drop about 1 teaspoon of batter in the center of each grid pattern. Placing the batter slightly behind the center can produce full size pizzelles. Using a little less batter will make the pizzelles smaller and have more a of "snowflake" border. Close the iron and bake for approximately 30 seconds, depending on your preference of browning, or the consistency of your batter.

5. Remove pizzelles from the grid with a spatula. If flat pizzelles are desired, place on parchment paper a counter top to cool. If you want to shape your pizzelles, remove one pizzelle from the grid and shape immediately while warm. The other pizzelle will remain warm and pliable until you are ready to remove it for shaping. Shape into cones, or hollow rolls for canoli.

6. FOR CHOCOLATE PIZZELLES:
   Add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons sugar to the basic recipe, do not add anise. You can also substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract for a Chocolate-Almond Pizzelle.