This Chocolate Pizzelle Cookie Recipe is an allergen friendly, Gluten free, and vegan version of a traditional thin waffle cookie called a pizzelle. These cookies aren't sickly sweet they are best enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.
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Chocolate Pizzelles Cookies are something our family makes together. There is a lot of tradition for us in doing it as a family. My partner’s mum and dad are the driving force behind the tradition. She makes the dough and he does all the pressing. The kids are now the ones who do all the pressing. Our oldest works the waffle press, with supervision. The family usually makes plain one like this recipe but the kids love the chocolate pizzelle cookies around the holidays.
What is a Pizzelle?
A pizzelle is a wafer thin waffle cookie. Try saying that 5 times quickly! Phew.
An Italian origin cookie, pizzelles aren’t sickly sweet and are popular in our house with a cup or tea, coffee, or hot chocolate in colder weather. I like to serve them with homemade ice cream for the summer treats. It should snap when bent. If you want to make them into cones you need to under bake them slightly and do it while it is hot. Plan for lots of breakage if rolling them. Any broken ones here get turned into cookie crumbs and used in a ganache layer in a (n)ice cream cake, as the dirt for a fun pudding dessert, an addition in the ice cream we make, or as a pie crust in our crushed cookie pie crust recipe. They can be made in an original flavour like our recipe here or jazzed up with this chocolate version.
What do you need to make Chocolate Pizzelles Cookies?
You have to have a press or iron for these chocolate pizzelle cookies. The heated plates are specific to this cookie. We have a waffle maker like machine that does them, you might be able to find one with removable plates but we use a dedicated machine. I like one that can do many cookies at once as there are 6 of us to feed. We are all usually hovering around the iron awaiting for a fresh one to come our way. Before buying one check out the reviews here to see what might suit you best.
If another kitchen gadget isn’t for you or you run out of time to press all the cookies– pop on over to our soft chocolate vegan cookie ( it is a similar recipe but different cooking method. Shhhhhh)
Adapting Traditional Treats for Allergies
Our allergy friendly chocolate pizzelle cookies are in the spirit of the original which is usually made from flour, eggs, sugar and butter. Only one of those ingredients is something we can eat in most cases. It took a lot of trial and test cookies to get the eggs replaced. That was the most difficult part. We settled on an aquafaba and egg replacer mix to get as close to the original taste and texture.
Ingredients for Chocolate Pizzelle Cookies
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour:
We use one with xanthan gum. If yours doesn’t have guar gum either it will need some added. About ¼ teaspoon per cup of flour. We used many different kinds of all purpose flours in development and all from the store brand of GF one for one to Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 or Robin hood GF flour. The latter was our favourite but they all worked.
Butter Alternative:
We use the buttery sticks or block butter. They have a lower water content which matters in the press heat.
Aquafaba and Egg Replacer:
We use both as there are a lot of eggs to replace. Aquafaba is the water from a tin or beans or chickpeas. Our fav is from chickpeas. The egg replacer best used is a flax egg (ground flax and water slurry) or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer with psyllium husk base.
More Bits:
Make sure your cocoa, baking soda, sugar (vegan), and vanilla are all safe for you.
How To Make Chocolate Pizzelle Cookies
All the ingredients go in to a medium bowl and are mixed until just combined. While mixing it is a great time to get the pizzelle machine pre-heated. Once at temperature oil the machine plate, either with spray or with a heat proof silicone brush. using a 1.5 tablespoon spoon place a scoop in the dead centre of the rondelles and close the machine to press the batter. Follow the direction on you machine to know when the dough is done, ours has a light that illuminates when the cookies are ready. Remove the cookie with a flat silicone heat proof spatula and put the cookie on a flat surface to cool. Coloing on a rack can cause the cookies to wave and warp. Piling them when warm will make them stick together.
Storage of Chocolate Pizzelle Cookies
Storage
Make Sure the chocolate pizzelle cookies are fully cooled before placing in the sealed container.
-Counter Top
The cookies store best in a sealed container for up to 7 days. You can also store the cookies crushed in a sealed bag for 1 week.
-Freezer
The vegan chocolate pizzelle cookies also freeze well for up to 4 weeks in a deep freeze when stored in a sealed container. You can also store the cookies crushed in a sealed bag in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.
Reheating
Allow the cookies to fully thaw before eating after freezing.
What to Serve With Chocolate Pizzelle Cookies
Pizzelles are a great accompaniment to a bowl of vegan ice cream like our blueberry white chocolate coconut (n)ice cream. Part of our tradition is to have a cup of milky tea or a coffee and a couple of pizzelles as a treat.
We also use this cookie recipe but crush the cookies once cooled to make crushed cookie pie crusts and as the crumble layer in a vegan ice cream cake or as when making cookies and cream ice cream.
We hope this recipe becomes part of your family tradition as it is ours.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
Crushed Cookie Pie Crust Recipe
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ C all purpose GF flour with xanthan gum
- ¼ C cocoa
- 2 tsps Baking powder
- 2 Tbsps flax mixed with 4 Tbsps water to make a flax egg
- 3 Tbsps aquafaba
- 1 C sugar
- ½ C vegan plant butter block or stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl mix flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix flax and water with a whisk to form flax eggs. Whisk in aquafaba.
- Add sugar and continue whisking by hand until the mix is thick.
- Slowly add the melted vegan butter while whisking continuously.
- Whisk in vanilla.
- Sift in dry ingredients and stir with a spoon or whisk until just combined, not longer.
- Heat pizzelle press until it shows ready based on your model of press.
- Use 1 ½ Tbsps of mix in the centre of each cookie spot.
- Follow your presses’ instructions for when they will be done.
- Let cool before eating.
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and us know how much you liked it.