These dark chocolate pizzelle are a fun take on the traditional Italian wafer cookies. They are a fabulous addition to a holiday cookie tray, or can easily be made into sandwich cookies or cannoli shells.
I've been daydreaming about all of the Italian bakery cookie assortments I've had the pleasure of sampling in my day. From rainbow cookies (♥) to raspberry jelly sandwich cookies to pignoli cookies to sprinkle cookies to anise cookies and all the cookies in between...I'll take one or five, please.
Pizzelle cookies were another variety that made their appearance at more than one holiday gathering. Traditionally these crisp wafer cookies are a) not chocolate and b) flavored with anise extract, so this iteration of flavored pizzelle is a little bit different than the usual.
But believe me, these dark chocolate pizzelle cookies are wholly satisfying on their own that you won't mind the deviation from the tried and true version. This fact was heavily tested...for "research".
Has anyone ever complained about the addition of dark chocolate in a baked good? I didn't think so.
P.S. Looking for a middle ground between traditional anise pizzelle and chocolate? I've adapted my base recipe to make pizzelle with lemon juice and extract for a boldly delicious version.
I varied the size of the pizzelle I made from small, few-bite circles to full-sized wafers purposefully to avoid the pressure of churning out perfectly round circles (without any overhang) for each and every batch.
Of course that pressure is placed upon me by me, but the more years that go by in my baking tenure, the more I realize that reliably producing picture-perfect, precise baked goods does not mesh well with my artistic skills. And/or patience level...
SO, these dark chocolate pizzelle are perfect imperfect, and cater to those in your crowd who after a holiday meal, are stuffed to the gills and couldn't possibly eat a whole pizzelle, but - oh look, that little baby pizzelle will do just fine. I know a few people who take on that role at gatherings (myself included from time to time), so I'm going to take that justification and run with it.
How to Make Chocolate Pizzelle
Both the ingredients and the method of preparing the pizzelle batter are pretty straightforward. The dry ingredients are whisked together in one bowl while the egg and brown sugar are mixed together in another. Once the melted butter and vanilla extract are combined in with the rest of the wet ingredients, all the dry gets poured into the bowl with the wet and the two are combined.
The batter should have approximately the consistency of a chocolate frosting. This definitely isn't a thin batter!
At this point you'll want to heat up your pizzelle iron and grease it, if needed. I've had a Cuisinart press for years and love it. The grates are non-stick, but I will brush a little oil on them at the beginning of each pizzelle batch and maybe once halfway through just to make sure there won't be any sticking issues.
I've only used this type of pizzelle press so I can't speak to how a cast iron or aluminum version operates. If in whatever version you're using the dark chocolate pizzelle begins to stick, brush a neutral oil such as vegetable oil on to help them release cleanly.
These dark chocolate pizzelle feature a rich chocolate flavor in a crunchy, concise package. They make wonderful additions to a holiday cookie tray or truly, any type of dessert occasion. After making a batch of these, your kitchen will smell like you've just baked a chocolate cake. Who doesn't like that aroma wafting around? Yum.
Recipe Notes
- I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder in this recipe to provide a rich flavor and deep color. It's 100% cacao and a blend of natural (lighter) and dutched (darker, less acidic) cocoa powders. BTW not sponsored. I just find this variety the most accessible and affordable.
- These thin and crisp cookies are delicate, so they aren't good candidates to be mailed or brought someplace where they'll be jostled along the way.
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!
Dark Chocolate Pizzelle
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- ½ cup brown sugar*
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add egg and brown sugar and mix on medium speed until mixture is smooth and has thickened, approx. one minute. Change the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in melted butter and vanilla extract until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, approx. 15 seconds, taking care not to overmix.
- Heat your pizzelle iron to your desired level (I like mine medium to medium-high crispness, so I selected around 3 ½ on the iron's "1 to 5" crispness scale). I brush the top and bottom of the iron with a small amount of oil or cooking spray to ensure there wouldn't be any sticking.
- Add batter to the center of the bottom grid and repeat for the remaining grids in your iron. As the batter will spread when you close the iron, do not completely cover the pizzelle grid with batter. My iron produces 4-inch full-sized pizzelle and the accompanying booklet suggests adding 1 ½ - 2 teaspoon batter. Adjust to less if you're looking for smaller pizzelle.
- Close the iron and cook until the timer light indicates, about a minute to a minute and a half. Remove pizzelle to cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat for the remaining batter, brushing the pizzelle grids with cooking spray if needed throughout.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
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Mel Dawn says
These pizzelle look so delicious. Amazing pictures!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Alyssa says
Thank you!
Ailyn says
Thanks for this great recipe!
Alyssa says
You're very welcome!
Ailyn says
Love this recipe ! This came out crispy , followed the recipe as directed .but can I use coconut oil instead of butter, I bought a big tub and just wondering if I can use this. Can I double this recipe?
Alyssa says
So glad you liked it! I haven't tried making these with coconut oil but I'd say it probably would work. I find unrefined coconut oil has a more "coconutty" flavor (than refined, which is pretty neutral-tasting), so just keep that in mind if that's the kind you have. Though chocolate and coconut flavors together is a favorite of mine. 🙂 And doubling the recipe sounds great!
Lisa says
The recipe was delicious but they came way softer than my usual pizzelles. Any thoughts?
Alyssa says
Glad you liked the taste! Hmmm if it's not related to the pizzelle iron crispness setting I'm not entirely sure. Could it have something to do with the ratio of dry ingredients to wet when compared to your usual recipe? Like more butter, an extra egg, etc.?
Cj wilson says
Excellent chocolate flavor! No problems with this recipe whatsoever. I sifted dry ingredients, also mixed sugar and egg with wisk till sugar dissolved then wisked in melted butter. (I was a bit lazy and let mixer stay in cupboard) thank you
Alyssa says
I'm so glad you liked it, Cj! Thanks for letting me know how it went.
Vicki Kovacs says
Just made chocolate for the first time and they are really good! Nothing is lost in the translation from the traditional anise flavor to the chocolates far as an excellent cookie. The only down side (and its no biggie) is it makes about 14 cookies. For me that's ok because I wouldn't want to eat more! Traditional recipe from my Cuisinart recipe book makes 30. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Alyssa says
You're very welcome, Vicki -- so glad you like them!! 🙂
Julie says
Mine stuck too! Do you let the batter chill or rest? What a mess!
Alyssa says
Hi Julie, I'm sorry you had trouble with this recipe. I don't let the batter rest, I just make them right away. By lightly greasing the pizzelle iron I've never had an issue with sticking, though I know the grids can be made with different materials. Mine is non-stick so that's the kind I'm familiar with.
Theresa Albert says
I've made the chocolate version of pizzelle cookies before where you omit some of the flour to add cocoa, but they come out lighter in color & you can barely tell there's chocolate added.
This recipe is a definite keeper & super delicious!!! Resembles the flavor of the cookie portion of a quality ice cream sandwich (except it's crispy, of course!). Would be awesome to use as just that, to make an ice cream sandwich, or served broken in large pieces with a side of greek yogurt w/ peanut butter mixed in.
Thanks so much for sharing your delicious recipe!
PS: My pizzelle maker produces 4" cookies and I use a small cookie scoop (holds 2-½ tsp.). Makes the baking process that much easier with the trigger release & consistent sized cookies.
Joey says
Perfect consistency! Thank you! They are beautiful and delicious!
Alyssa says
So glad you liked them, Joey!
Mark Beattie says
What size scoop should I use to apply the batter to my iron? I use a CucinaPro iron without the black coating.
Alyssa says
Hi Mark, I believe that pizzelle iron makes 5" pizzelles? If so I'd add about two teaspoons worth of batter and then see if you'd like to increase the scoop size in order to fill the whole pizzelle shape. It may need more like 2 1/2 - 3 teaspoons. If you have a small cookie scoop that would be the easiest, but I usually just eyeball with a dessert spoon.
Dawn Smith says
I use a #50 scoop & they turn out just right for my Trattoria iron
Yolanda says
Hi Alyssa I made the choc pizzelles are you sure you didn't leave out an ingredient mine were like truffles the batter was very hard I could actually room them into balls. I got only got 10 small ones they did not spread fully I never had trouble making pizzelles before. Will you explain why. Thank you
Alyssa says
Hi Yolanda, I'm sorry you had trouble with this recipe. The ingredients are correct as written. It's hard for me to know exactly what went wrong, but your batter does sound too hard. It's a fairly thick batter (not thin at all), but should definitely be more malleable than how truffles would be.
How are you measuring your flour? I make sure I stir up the flour in its canister, then gently spoon it into my measuring cup until it's heaping. Then I use a straight edge (usually the handle of the spoon) to level it off, letting the excess fall back into the canister. Otherwise (by not fluffing the flour/directly scooping/etc.) too much flour may become packed in the measuring cup and make its way into the recipe, causing a drier than desired/too hard batter.
Other than that, are you sure you included the egg/right amount of butter? Something doesn't seem right with the amount of your ingredients if you only got 10 small cookies that didn't spread. After receiving your comment I made these so I could take pictures of what the batter should look like once mixed and ready for the iron. I will update this post with the pictures. I hope this is helpful!
Barbara says
Would using a Hershey's dark chocolate bar instead of Hershey's dark cocoa powder cause batter to be stiff?
Alyssa says
Hi Barbara, I've only ever used cocoa powder in these so I couldn't say for sure, but that could be!
Tricia says
I know it’s been a few years, but I have a possible cause? This is thicker than my usual batter, but has a higher butter to flour ratio (my regular is 3T butter and 1c flour, compared to this ones 5T butter to just under 1c flour/cocoa combo). This one also has twice the baking powder. My kitchen is a cool room temp, so the butter gets firmer. I also saw someone said she usually uses oil, which also wouldn’t firm up when cooling. My cookies aren’t spreading as much as usual, but they work fine. I’m still making them, so not sure how many I’ll end up with.
Madi says
Pizzelle cookies are so fun to make! I got a pizzelle press last year so I'll have to give your recipe a go!
Wilhelmina Wessel says
Such pretty cookies!
Christine says
These are DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe. Easy and so good!
Bobbi says
Made this morning. This is now my favorite pizzelle recipe. I have tried other chocolate pizzelle recipes and never thought that they were very good. These are delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Alyssa says
I'm so glad you like them, Bobbi! You're very welcome. 🙂
Stephanie says
I tried this recipe after searching online. I am so glad I found it. It was perfect! My mom gave me her pizzele maker and I had never made them before in my life. They turned out amazing. I used another recipe I found on allrecipes.com and they did not turn out so great. Thank you for sharing