CucinaPro Pizzelle Maker- Polished Electric Baker Press Makes Two 5-Inch Cookies at Once- Recipe Guide Included- Easter Baking Supplies for Party- Italian Waffle Dessert Treat Making

The media could not be loaded.I have always liked pizzelles at weddings and other functions, and bought an iron a few years ago to make my own. What a nightmare! Sometimes they stuck…which resulted in TONS of fun with a toothpick! They would NOT turn out right, they were always too thick and not crispy. Even if I held the handles tightly the entire time. I tried many different recipes thinking I must be doing something wrong. Some with butter, some with margarine, some with melted crisco, some with oil. All the same..thick, waffle-y cookies. They tasted ok, but the texture was wrong.Last Christmas, I got so annoyed with it, that I got rid of that iron the very next day. This year, I looked around the internet to see if there was a better iron. ***I knew NOT to get the non-stick…but to get the polished one.*** The non-stick ones must not get hot enough or something. I didn’t want to buy some really old one (I worried about old electric components) and did see that this machine got nice reviews so I figured I wouldn’t be any worse off (than that last machine!) by trying it. It was hard to tell because so many people said “crispy” but I didn’t know if they meant “hard” or “dried out” (since some recommended putting the cookies in an oven when you were done to crisp them. I didn’t want too-thick and but dry cookies.) Some reviewed irons, but never gave their recipes. Some used REALLY old irons that you put over the stove or on coals! It was very hard to figure out both a recipe and an iron. I wanted thin cookies, not see through, but thin. And crispy enough to snap, but not so dry that they shatter. Crisp, but not hard so can see the crescent shape of your bite. I remember eating around the flower shape when I was little and THAT was the texture I wanted!I used an old old recipe from a relative’s Vitanonio machine(posted below). It is the same one I have seen many places. I figured I would start with a recipe that I knew worked for someone. I made some little changes based on different tips I have seen around and to my personal preference. I used all butter because I like the taste of it. I plugged it in, waited about 5 minutes, sprayed the machine with popular vegetable spray once, and began. I was actually scared to open that lid the first time fearing bits of cookie stuck in all those grooves!! (I have BEEN THERE!!) But it was perfect!! I did pitch the first two since it was a new machine. I did have to experiment slightly with the amount, placement and timing, but got it in about 4-5 tries. There is a little light under the handles that has an audible click and changes from yellow to green when it is ready to go. It does cycle on and off during baking to maintain the temperature, but I didn’t use it as a “ready” light for each batch…it doesn’t seem to be exact. The timer was much more accurate for me. Some people just watch for the steam to stop, but I like mine to have a tinge of toasty color, not just pale. You can time yours to as pale or dark as you want.Here is the recipe I used:6 large eggs (room temp.)1.5 cups sugar1 cup of butter (melted and cooled)3 tsp. anise extract (I couldn’t find anise oil which is supposed to be better)3 tsp. vanilla extract3.5 cups of flour (minus one Tablespoon…see below)4 tsp. baking powder (I made them a little less than a full tsp.)1 Tablespoon cornstarch1/4 cup water…more or less as needed (see below)Beat the eggs and gradually add sugar until they it light and fluffy-ish (I used a kitchen aid stand mixer because I am lazy!) Slowly add melted/cooled butter (you don’t want to cook your eggs!) and extracts. You can use all anise, all vanilla (or even other flavors,) but 50/50 anise/vanilla is the way my family likes them. Mix some more (I left it run at medium for about a minute.) SIFT flour, baking powder and cornstarch. (I KNOW…sifting seems so old-fashioned, but it seems to be needed for this recipe. I used King Arthur all-purpose flour because I always seem to have good luck with baked goods using it.) About the baking powder: I think the baking powder (though it seems counter-intuitive for a flat cookie) isn’t so much for puffiness, but to help the cookie “fill out” the mold. Also, regarding the cornstarch: I did read that adding a Tablespoon of cornstarch helps maintain the crispness of these. So I took OUT a Tbl. of flour and added a Tbl. of cornstarch. You don’t HAVE to if you’re eating yours right away, but needed mine for close to a week for holiday visitors, so I used it.Check texture. The batter should be thick and sticky, but still run off your spoon in a thick ribbon and still hold it’s shape when it lands back in the bowl. It depends on lots of things (humidity, subtle variations in egg size, etc.) so add water a little at a time and stir until you get that consistency. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup water. You may need more or none.Drop dough onto heated iron. I used a level scoopthis OXO small one, so mine would be consistent in size and so I wouldn’t have to use two spoons (or fingers.) I let the lid close itself (didn’t push) for about 3 seconds then squeezed. latched the handles. Fifty (50) seconds was the PERFECT time for mine. I used the stopwatch on my phone to make it easier. Just reset the timer each time I closed it. I didn’t have ANY trouble with the latch being hard like some reviewer did. You do have to squeeze the handles a little further-closed to latch and unlatch it, but it isn’t strenuous or hard at all (and my fingers are tired from baking all week!) I used a silicone spatula to lift them to a rack too cool (this is when you need to shape them if you are making cones, bowls or tubes.)Store them in a not-too air tight container. They seem to soften in a plastic/tupperware type of container (which is GOOD for some cookies, not so good for these.) My mother-in-law uses a cardboard oatmeal container, but my oatmeal container was too narrow. I used a waxed-paper cardboard container that store-bought cookies came in. Even a shirt size gift box lined with waxed paper would work or a tin (if you have one.)I was going to write how many cookies I got from the recipe, but my family has eaten too many while I have been typing so I don’t KNOW!! ha ha!! I would say 60-ish. �� They are really good. I know people have favorite recipes for these, but I wasn’t blessed with a mom or grandma who ever made these!!! I did want to post one that worked well for me and is pretty traditional. Please feel free to ask me any questions or post YOUR recipe if you think I could make these cookies even better than they are now!!! I hope this helps at least some of you who are having trouble or have never made these before!!