A
pizzelle is a traditional
Italian cookie made from
flour,
eggs,
sugar, vegetable oil, and flavoring (often
vanilla,
anise, or lemon zest). The cookie dough or batter is put into a pizzelle iron, which resembles a waffle iron. The iron is held by hand over a hot burner on the stovetop, or some models of iron are electric and require no stove. Typically, the iron stamps a snowflake pattern onto both sides of this light-brown cookie, which has a crisp texture once it is cooled. Pizzelles are popular during
Christmas and
Easter.