Chocolate Italian Pizzelle Recipe

You’ve probably seen these snowflake stamped cookies in your local grocery store, but maybe you didn’t know that pizzelle are actually known to be one of the oldest cookies, and they were originally made in central Italy.

Like I do with all of my dessert recipes, my chocolate pizzelle recipe is made with alternative ingredients that makes the cookies much healthier, and just as satisfying. For my pizzelle, I use Paleo and cassava flour — two gluten-free flours that are easier on your digestion and contain more nutrients.

And to give these pizzelle their delicious, sweet and chocolatey taste, I use a combination of coconut sugar, cocoa powder and cacao nibs, a superfood that contains powerful antioxidants. Once you try my chocolate pizzelle recipe, you’ll realize that there’s no need to go against your healthy diet when you want to eat something tasty and satisfying.

What Are Pizzelle?

Pizzelle are traditional Italian cookies that are made with a pizzelle iron, which is similar to a waffle iron. Typically, pizzelle are made with a combination of white flour, sugar, butter, vegetable oil and eggs; however, for my pizzelle recipe, I use ingredients that make the cookies completely gluten-free, figure friendly and beneficial for your heart and brain.

Just like the Italian cannoli, pizzelle are commonly served during holiday feasts and for special occasions, like weddings. Now you can make your own healthy chocolate pizzelle cookies at home and serve them to your loved ones, or even give them to friends, coworkers and neighbors as a homemade holiday gift. They are all going to love them, and their many health benefits too!

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Nutrition Facts

One chocolate pizzelle cookie made using this recipe contains roughly the following: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

• 202 calories
• 21 grams carbohydrates
• 11 grams fat
• 6 grams sugar
• 3 grams protein
• 1.3 grams fiber
• 0.5 milligrams manganese (29 percent DV)
• 114 milligrams phosphorus (16 percent DV)
• 0.11 milligrams copper (12 percent DV)
• 47 milligrams choline (11 percent DV)
• 0.88 milligrams zinc (11 percent DV)
• 6 micrograms selenium (11 percent DV)
• 0.08 milligrams riboflavin (8 percent DV)
• 26 milligrams magnesium (8 percent DV)
• 0.3 milligrams vitamin B5 (6 percent DV)
• 0.07 milligrams vitamin B6 (6 percent DV)
• 0.14 micrograms vitamin B12 (6 percent DV)
• 1.1 milligrams iron (6 percent DV)
• 3.6 milligrams vitamin C (5 percent DV)
• 0.05 milligrams thiamin (5 percent DV)
• 47 milligrams calcium (5 percent DV)
• 14 micrograms folate (4 percent DV)
• 82 IUs vitamin A (4 percent DV)
• 204 milligrams potassium (4 percent DV)

Here’s a quick glance at some of the top health benefits associated with the ingredients in this chocolate pizzelle recipe:

Cassava flour: Cassava flour is an excellent alternative to white, refined flour because of its neutral taste. It’s one of my favorite gluten-free flours because it’s nonallergenic, relatively low in calories compared to other flours on the market and it’s inexpensive.

Coconut oil: There are many health benefits of using coconut oil in your recipes. It increases your intake of the right type of saturated fats that can boost your body’s HDL cholesterol levels, helps improve your brain function and even helps you to lose weight and boost your energy levels. That’s why I almost always choose healthy coconut oil for my baked goods. (6)

Cacao nibs: Raw cacao is a superfood that contains a variety of phytonutrients like magnesium, sulfur and phenylethylamine. And did you know that cacao nibs have more antioxidant activity than blueberries, goji berries and wine? The cacao nibs in this recipe can help to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, alleviate digestive issues like diarrhea, boost your mood and support muscle function. (7)

How to Make Pizzelle

Before you begin to prep your ingredients, heat your pizzelle iron so that it’s ready to go once the batter is prepared.

Next, take out a large bowl and add in 1 cup of Paleo flour, 1 cup of cassava flour and 1½ teaspoons of baking powder.

In a separate bowl, you’re going to mix ½ cup of coconut sugar, 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder, 4 eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and ½ cup of coconut oil.

Mix your wet ingredients until they are well-combined.

Then add your wet mixture to the flour…

and mix the ingredients well until the batter begins to feel thick and slightly sticky.

Now you’re ready to add in ¼ cup of cacao nibs. Simply fold the nibs into the batter until they are mixed well.

Your dough is ready! Now drop about 2 tablespoons of dough onto the pizzelle iron.

Close the iron so it flattens the dough and let it cook for about 45–60 seconds.

The iron gives you that traditional snowflake design. And you’ll notice that the cookies are relatively soft at first, but once they cool, they will become harder and easier to handle.

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Just like that, your chocolate pizzelle cookies are ready to enjoy! You can experiment with dipping your pizzelle in toppings like dark chocolate and coconut flakes or pistachios.