Meyer Lemon Pizzelle

I love a crispy pizzelle! I was first introduced to these traditional Italian cookies by a friend who made them every year for our kids’ preschool Christmas celebration. They were so pretty and delicious that I put a pizzelle iron on my holiday wishlist. 🙂 Eating them with ice cream made me understand why my husband loves waffle cones too. This is a wonderful version with subtle lemon flavor.

This special dessert recipe was adapted from a Food 52 community pick, contributed by Hilarybee. I used lemon extract but may try orange next time. I also increased the amount of Meyer lemon zest and added salt.

The original recipe also recommends serving them filled with pastry cream or mousse or sandwiched with a little bit of lemon curd. Yum!

• 3/4 cup plus 2 T granulated sugar
  
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature (I place them in a bowl of warm water)
  
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure orange or pure lemon extract
  
• zest of 2 Meyer lemons
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/8 tsp coarse salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  

1. Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well incorporated. Note: The eggs must be at least room temperature; cold eggs will result in an unworkable batter.
3. Slowly drizzle the melted butter into the mixture, while mixing on medium speed.
4. Add the extracts followed by the zest.
5. On low-speed, add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Alternate between medium and low-speed while beating in the flour. (I turn it to low while pouring in the flour; medium to incorporate the flour before adding more).
6. The batter should have a satin sheen to it, but should be light and stiff. If your batter is too liquid, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time until the batter is stiff.
7. Using a tablespoon scoop, place dollops of batter into the iron. The cookies take about 25-30 seconds in the iron.

Note: Fresh, hot cookies can be rolled or shaped into cups. I shaped them into cups by placing a hot cookie on the base of a juice glass and then topped it with an inverted glass prep bowl. The cookies cool very quickly and maintain the shape.