…oatmeal raisin cookies and Italian Pizzelles!
That’s right, more cookies!!!!
Tonight’s cookies had to be baked in and around client calls that always seemed to come at the moment when they wee put on the iron or in the oven. Thankfully, Rosanne was around to keep an eye on things and finish up the baking duties.
Oatmeal-Raisin
These are one of Rosanne’s favorite cookies, but I prefer oatmeal chocolate chip, with the addition of comes spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and clove — to the mix. This recipe comes from the Joy of Cooking cookbook and you can find the recipe at the link below.
Recipe: Joy of Cooking Oatmeal Cookies
Pizzelles
I first encountered these waffle-like cookies in the CARE packages Rosanne’s aunt would send to her in college. Those more traditional ones were anise flavored, but I prefer them plain — flavored just with vanilla. These require a special appliance to make. it is basically a special purpose waffle iron that puts the traditional design on the cookies as they cook. I haven’t really experimented much with what other batters or dough you might be able to put on the grill. It is a pretty small area, unlike a traditional waffle maker, so I am not sure what would fit and still cook through.
There is even a Wikipedia page for Pizzelles
This year I moved away from the recipe that came with iron and instead looked up one on the recipe. Previous attempts have come out a little too thick for me and a little too soft. These, though, came out nearly perfect. They were a bit thicker than I wanted, but they were perfectly crispy. Laying each pizzelle out on a cooling rack for a while seems to help them stay crisp. If you stack them up warm, the remaining steam tends to remove crispness. The next time I make these I am going to use a little bit less baking powder, too. You want them to puff a bit, but not so much it effects the overall thickness and crispness.
Recipe: Pizzelles
Tomorrow will be a big baking day. My wife and son will be out of the house early to do an annual charity project they work on and I don’t have anything else planned. I will probably complete most of the cookie list tomorrow, leaving a few more delicate items until just before the party.