When I was in Vermont earlier this month, I found it fascinating to take pictures of the fire in the giant fireplace at the Woodstock Inn. Every photo is different.
Then again, not much beats sitting by a roaring fireplace that someone else is taking care of....including the cleanup of it all!
I have been meaning to post the following recipe. I developed my gluten free pizzelle recipe last winter. I purchased a brand new pizzelle maker (by VillaWare), and proceeded using Pamela's Baking Mix. I was so excited at the result that I was literally jumping up and down in my kitchen! They were fabulous, and at LEAST as good as the standard/gluten-filled version. (I think they're actually better!)
If you wind a flexible hot pizzelle (right off the pizzelle baker) around a cannoli tube and let it cool that way, you can fill it with a ricotta mixture and actually have cannoli!! With gluten free eating, where there's a will there's a way!
If you already own a pizzelle baker and have previously used it for regular pizzelle with gluten, I would be wary of using it for someone who truly needs a gluten free diet. The crumbs seem pretty impossible to totally clean out. Proceed at your own risk.
HH's GF Pizzelle
(Makes about 30)
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups GF Baking Mix (Pamela’s Baking mix is awesome! But…otherwise, try a different pancake mix, or GF Bisquick, or a mixture of GF Flours with 1 tsp xanthan gum and 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.)
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ tsp anise extract (opt.)
Melt butter in microwave, in two 20-sec spurts. Allow to cool slightly. Put it in a bowl with the ¾ cup of sugar and mix it up.
Put your flour blend into a large bowl.
Beat eggs into the sugar/butter mixture. Add vanilla and anise and blend.
Put egg mixture into the large bowl over the flour mixture. Blend it well. Make sure there isn’t a clump of dry baking mix hiding underneath all of your nice dough. It should have a soft, dough-like quality (not stiff).
Bake using a pizzelle iron per manufacturer's instructions. I use 1 Tbs. measure per cookie and bake them for 30-40 sec. (Watch for when steam subsides somewhat. I used a timer to time 35 seconds.) Obviously, this takes a while when you can only bake two pizzelle at a time. Turn on some rock music and dance around in between. When you are making pizzelle, it's easy to dance because they are so yummy!!!
Let cool on rack, then transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Optional: Roll some hot, pliable pizzelle (fresh from the baker) around cannoli forms, using a towel underneath the area for ease of rolling and to ensure a GF surface. Allow to cool. Fill with cannoli filling just before serving.
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Cannoli filling:
Drain a 15-oz container of whole milk ricotta in the fridge for a few hours or more. (Use a strainer.)
Mix this mixture with ½ cup of powdered sugar and ½ tsp vanilla.
Fills 8 cannoli.
