Vegan & Gluten Free Pizzelles

Growing up in a family with strong Italian roots, I remember enjoying these delicate waffle cookies as a kid. When I grew up my mom gave me her pizzelle maker but sadly it’s old cord made it a fire hazard and I recently made the switch to purchase a new one (click here to see the one I got) so I could reinstate these sweet holiday treats. In an effort to eat less gluten (simply because it makes me feel better) I’ve been playing with gluten free flours. My mom suggested Cassava flour as she had used it with success in another recipe and it works gloriously in this one too! I order my cassava flour from Thrive Market but you can likely find it in a local health food store or click here. These cookies can be flavored with anise, lemon, or almond so feel free to switch out the extracts to suit your palate.

Ingredients

2 cups cassava flour
2tsp baking powder
3/4 cup organic Unbleached fine sugar
10 Tbl vegan butter melted
1/4 + cup plant milk (almond, cashew)
3 vegan eggs bobs redmill egg replacer
1tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp almond extract

Mix melted butter and sugar and extracts in a medium size bowl until well combined. Add the vegan eggs

In a small bowl mix flour and baking powder and then slowly add to the wet mixture adding plant milk as needed to combine mixture into a wet cookie dough consistency. If it is too wet it will ooze out of the pizzelle iron and if it is too dry it will not allow the iron to close properly and the cookies will be thicker and less delicate. You may not need all of the milk so add slowly !!!

Scoop approx 2tbl spoons of mixture into each waffle iron and use your fingers to begin to flatten them before closing the iron. Irons will vary but mine takes approx 30 seconds to get a light golden color otherwise they burn. Be willing to sacrifice the first few just in case.

Release the cookies with the tip of a knife and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool. These can also be formed into cannoli shells while hot but you need to work quickly as they cool fast and once they begin to harden they will lose their flexibility and crack.

Enjoy as is or too with a dusting of organic confectioners sugar