Every year for Christmas my Mom and Grandma would make Pizzelles. I don't know where they got the original recipe or their presses, but they have been making them for longer then I have been alive. Eventually my Grandmother started using an electric press, which made TWO cookies at a time. When I was young, I would help my Mom make them in the fireplace. Since a recipe makes 4 dozen + cookies and you can only cook them one at a time, it made for a whole day, very hot affair. Several years ago my Mom found a press and gave it to me for Christmas. Sadly, life always seems too busy to spend the day making cookies, so I have only used it once or twice.
Well this weekend I decided that we needed Pizzelles! They have always been my favorite cookie and now are Liam's too. And while you can buy them pre-made at some specialty Italian markets, they just aren't as good. So I oiled up the press, mixed the dough and got going:
all photos were taken with Liam's DSI since my camera batteries were dead.
It's almost guaranteed that you will have at least one fire while making Pizzelles on the stove top. After all there is one cup of oil in the dough. But thanks to Firemom's many fire prevention posts, I was prepared. I knew where the fire extinguisher was and I knew that my smoke detectors had fresh batteries. I do however regret the fresh batteries (Just kidding Firemom!). The actual "fires" were really just small flames... easily blown out and did not require the fire extinguisher. But suddenly and with out warning, the smoke detectors started going off! And really... I've made toast that has produced more smoke. Even with the doors and windows open, I couldn't get the smoke detectors to stop beeping! Eventually I found a step stool and was able to silence both of them.
In the end it was worth it. We ended up with 4 dozen cookies wrapped up to be frozen and I'm pretty sure Liam and I ate at least a dozen during the making. And best of all? He proclaimed MY cookies even better than his Grandma's because, and I quote "he could taste a bit of extra love in them"
Awww! If that doesn't encourage me to make them more often, I don't know what will.
3 comments:
oh! this brings me back. my grandmother used to make them and sprinkle with powdered sugar. how I wish I had her press -- wish I knew what happened to it. mmm. thanks for the trip down memory lane!
what a nice tradition to carry on with liam!
You're welcome!
(FireDad set off ours the other night. Hahahahaha.)
I don't think I have ever had one. I'm clearly missing out. It's always so fun to bake with a little one, they are so darn enthusiastic about it.
You're email isn't connected to your comment, so I came by to say hi and thank you so very much for your comment on my post about my daughter and her first mother. It meant a lot to me.
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