• 6 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup good quality brandy
  • Zest of one orange or lemon, optional
  • A pizzelle iron

Like family Christmas newsletters, sharing and receiving homemade goodies during the holiday is one of the many things I love about Christmas.  When living in New York, our neighbor Susan would sometime bring us homemade pizzelles at Christmastime. I had always wanted to make these delicious Italian cookies, but never purchased a pizzelle iron.These pretty cookies bake up in something similar to a waffle iron. Each pizzelle maker has its own pretty delicate design.

This fall my good friend MJ surprised me with an unexpected visit. “I saw this at the thrift shop and thought of you.” In her hand was a shiny, never-been-used pizzelle iron made in Italy! With the holidays upon me I had big plans for this pretty appliance.

Yesterday I spent my morning baking away as I listened to Christmas music, enjoying the holiday lights and decorations, and yes, putting my A.C. on.

77 degrees. Really?

It’s okay though. We are thankful for the warm weather as we just experienced a very cold couple of weeks.

I placed the pizzelle cookies in a pretty gold tin lined with a paper white snowflake. She’ll love these.

Here’s how easy they were to make:

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and oil and mix until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, anise seeds, anise oil, and optional ingredients if desired, and mix well to form a homogenous batter. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.Heat the pizzelle iron until very hot. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter onto the iron, close it, and return to the heat. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used.