Keto pizzelles capture the sweet, aromatic embrace of anise, vanilla, or maybe almond-your choice, dancing across a light, crisp cookie that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. These sugar-free pizzelles are a keto-friendly version of the popular crisp Italian waffle cookies.
Pizzelle are traditional Italian waffle cookies, which originate from the Abruzzo region of south-central Italy. They are particularly associated with the festive seasons, especially Christmas and Easter. The name “pizzelle” means small, flat, and round in Italian, akin to the word “pizza” for pie. The history of pizzelle dates back to the 8th century, and they are considered one of the oldest cookie recipes.
What are Pizzelles?
If you’ve never tried pizzelle (pronounced pit-ZELL-ay), you just need to know that they’re a thin, crispy cookie with a slightly sweet, buttery flavor. They are cooked in a pizzelle iron, which resembles a waffle iron. This iron imprints a delicate snowflake or floral pattern onto the cookie.
Traditionally made with sugar and flour, this keto pizzelle recipe swaps those out for more keto-friendly ingredients: coconut flour and a granulated Monk fruit and erythritol blend (or use your sugar-free sweetener of choice).
The Taste and Texture of Keto Pizzelles
The texture of a pizzella is light and crisp, with a buttery, slightly sweet flavor. When biting into a pizzella, one can expect a delicate crunch that gives way to a melt-in-the-mouth sensation due to their thinness. Anise-flavored pizzelle have a subtle licorice taste, which is traditional, while vanilla adds a bright, aromatic quality, and almond extract provides a nutty, warm note.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Essential Equipment: The Pizzelle Iron
Before diving into the ingredients, it’s essential to mention the equipment: you will need a pizzelle iron or maker. A mini one from CucinaPro works great just like a mini waffle maker. You can still make this cookie if you don’t have one, but it won’t have the traditional appearance.
Key Ingredients for Keto Pizzelle
- Eggs: These are essential in baking for structure and leavening. They help bind the ingredients together and trap air when beaten, which adds lightness to the pizzelles.
- Sugar-Free Granulated Sweetener: A keto-friendly alternative to sugar, it provides the sweetness we crave in desserts without the carbs. It's granulated, so it can blend well with the eggs and aerate when beaten.
- Coconut Oil or Unsalted Butter: Adds moisture and richness to the dough. When melted and cooled, it mixes easily with the other ingredients without cooking the eggs.
- Anise, Vanilla, or Almond Extract: These extracts are all about flavor. Anise gives a classic licorice-like taste, while vanilla and almond are milder and more widely appealing. It's a choose-your-own-adventure situation here!
- Coconut Flour: A low-carb, gluten-free alternative to traditional flour, it's super absorbent and helps create a dough that'll hold together when pressed in the pizzelle iron.
- Salt: It's a flavor enhancer.
- Egg White Protein Powder: The powdered egg whites give the crispiness you want in a pizzelle. Adding extra liquid egg whites will not work to make the cookie crispy. You need the drying of powder to make the batter the right consistency.
- Xanthan Gum:
- Baking Powder:
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Keto Pizzelle
- In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat eggs and sweetener on medium-high speed until yellow, light, and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Melt coconut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Allow to cool slightly.
- Add melted coconut oil and your extract of choice to the egg mixture. Beat on medium speed until incorporated.
- In a small mixing bowl, sift together coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the coconut flour (dry) mixture to the egg (wet) mixture. Combine on low speed until a moist dough forms. Careful not to overmix as the coconut flour will thicken as it stands.
- Plug in pizzelle iron and allow it to heat according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Grease slightly with leftover coconut oil or butter.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons in size) or a tablespoon, form about 10-12 dough balls. Place 1 dough ball in the pizzelle maker slightly above the floral pattern, flatten slightly before closing the lid. Press down on the pizzelle maker lid until completely flattened. Peek inside to make sure it's completely covering the design. There may be a little spillage over the sides.
- Cook until lightly golden brown, usually 2-3 minutes. Lift the lid to check doneness.
- Remove from pizzelle maker with a small spatula and place on a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Cooling these cookies on a wire rack is an important step to make sure they crisp up.
- Trim away the edges if desired while still warm. If you have a floral pattern pizzelle maker like mine, you’ll have to trim away the edges with a small knife. But if you want perfectly round pizzelle, then you can use a small zester or grater to smooth the edges out after trimming away excess pieces.
Tips for the Perfect Keto Pizzelle
- Don't Overmix: Be careful not to overmix the batter, as coconut flour will thicken as it stands.
- Sweetener Choice: You need to use something that has a little bit of graininess too it, in order for the cookie to be crispy. Powdered monkfruit, stevia, or splenda won't work in this recipe. Either will Allulose, no matter what allulose will prevent the cookie from becoming crispy. So I suggest a type of sweetener that is granular and a 1:1 substitute for regular sugar.
- Cooling is Crucial: Cooling these cookies on a wire rack is an important step to make sure they crisp up.
- Experiment with Your Iron: You may need to do some experimenting with the iron you own to get the amount of batter right.
Serving Suggestions
After trimming, sprinkle with powdered sugar-free sweetener and you are ready to serve these delicious little Italian cookies for your next holiday party or wrap up in plastic wrap as gifts for all your neighbors. Either way, they’re sure to be a hit.
Pizzelle can be served flat or rolled into cone shapes while still warm and then filled with various creams or mousses. They are good but they aren’t really cookies, in my humble opinion. Which is I had some fun turning them into keto stroopwafels with my sugar-free caramel sauce. Now that is tasty stuff!
In their basic form, they have a balanced sweetness, making them perfect for pairing with coffee, tea, or a dessert wine. Because of their versatility, pizzelle can be adapted to different tastes and occasions, from simple tea cookies to elaborate desserts. Feel free to get creative with cocoa powder or use different extracts!
Keto Stroopwafels: A Delicious Twist
Take a few of your leftover keto pizzelle and used them to sandwich your caramel sauce. Spread 1 keto pizzelle with about 1 1/2 tbsp of keto caramel sauce. Top with another pizzelle. Repeat with remaining cookies and caramel sauce. These are best served when freshly made, as the caramel sauce can cause the cookies to soften.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Recipe Variations
You can also use this recipe to make waffle cones or bowls or cannoli shells. I love putting a scoop of keto ice cream in a waffle bowl and adding toppings so it feels like I got to go to the ice cream parlor and order a decadent sundae like I use to!
Storage Tips
These pizzelles stay well on the counter for several weeks in a ziplock bag. You can also freeze then for up to a month or two. I would let them thaw out of the bag on the counter or just eat them straight out of the freezer, they are delicious as frozen chocolate dipped ice cream cones.
If you think they are going to be eaten within 5 days, just leave them on the counter, uncovered. They stay more crisp that way. I honestly have not tried freezing pizzelle. If you do want make the keto stroopwafels, do know that the cookies get less crisp as they sit with the caramel sauce on them.
Low Carb Pizzelle Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 Eggs
- 96 g Granular Sweetener (I use Lakanto Classic Monkfruit/Erythritol Blend) (about 1/2 Cup)
- 84 g Salted Butter (melted and cooled)( 6 Tbs., 3 oz.)
- 1/2 Tbs. Vanilla Extract (6 g)
- 15 g Coconut Flour (2 Tbs.)
- 12 g Egg White Powder (1 1/2 - 2 Tbs.)
- 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum (2g)
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder (4g)
Instructions:
- Melt the butter, measure, sift and whisk together dry ingredients together
- Beat eggs and granular sweetener together until frothy
- Stream in butter as you whip then add the vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients into the wet and beat until there are no lumps left
- Preheat the pizzelle maker while the batter rests and grab out a drying rack for a place for the cookies to cool
- If you have the same pizzelle maker as I do, ladle a tablespoon of batter into the center of the cookie pattern, press down and hold for a few seconds, cook for no longer than a minute and a half (may take some testing if you have a different size cookie maker or a waffle cone maker)
- Once cooked they will be very fragile, using a mini offset spatula pick up the cookie and lay flat onto the cooling rack or shape around a cone mold, cannoli tube, or in between two glass bowls depending on the desired shape
- Once cooled, store on the counter in a ziplock bag for a week or more
Macros: 1 Pizzelle if you make 14-16 pizzelles
- 60 Calories
- 5 g Fat
- 7 g Total Carbs
- 0 g Fiber
- 6 g Sugar Alcohol
- 1 g Net Carbs
- 2 g Protein
A Little History and Personal Touch
Pizzelle are a staple Italian cookies, so of course I had to try to figure out a recipe! Luckily one of the easier Italian cookies to make, unlike cucidatis that have a ton of ingredients. Basically I just had to figure out the right low carb flour combo and sweetener to sub in because the other ingredients butter and egg make up the bulk of the recipe.
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