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Low Carb Pizzelle

Reader requested recipe: low carb, grain-free pizzelle! These crisp Italian waffle cookies are a tradition for many families at Christmas. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. 

Low carb Gluten-free Pizzelle, a holiday classic made healthy

Confession time: I don’t really like pizzelle all that much. I just find them rather boring. I am ducking for cover as I say this because I can see people all over the country throwing sharp objects in my direction. I hear so many say all the time that this flat waffled cookie is their favourite Christmas cookie. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I just can’t quite see the appeal. Even when I make low carb, grain-free pizzelle such as these. They are good but they aren’t really cookies, in my humble opinion. They’re just really flat waffles with a little flavouring! They’re decent spread with some peanut butter for breakfast but that’s about the extent of it for this girl.


 Light and crisp low carb pizzelle, a classic Christmas cookie gets a healthy makeover.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know people love them and so I apologize profusely if I offend. So many people have asked me to make low carb pizzelle but they do require special equipment. While I am the queen of baking equipment, I try not to purchase items that have only a single use. And a seasonal single use at that! But the pressure was just too great for me so I broke down and did it. That and the fact that I noticed when I accidentally overcooked my low carb cream cheese crepes, they got crispy and rather reminded me of pizzelle in texture and flavour. I knew I need to run with that and see what I could come up with.

The nice thing with these pizzelle is that you can use your blender to whip up the batter, so it’s less messy and it’s easy to pour the batter into the hot iron. A good high-powered blender works best for a really smooth, homogenous batter. I used both Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour and almond meal for these and I found I had to increase the flours compared to my crepe recipe to get something that worked for pizzelle.

Almond flour pizzelle - a grain-free, gluten-free holiday cookie recipe

Now here’s the trick for these low carb Italian waffle cookies: you must let them rest and cool COMPLETELY to crisp up. Right off the iron, they are soft and malleable, just like real pizzelle (at this point, you could roll them into cones or tubes if you like). And even after they seem completely cool, they still aren’t all that crisp. They are best left out overnight, completely uncovered and in a single layer on cooling racks. It’s only then that they become fully crisp. I know, I know, having the patience is tough. But trust me, you will enjoy them more the second day than the first.

So, to all my pizzelle-loving friends…consider this my Christmas present to you. Enjoy!

Low Carb Grain-Free Pizzelle, Italian Waffle cookies

Disclosure: Many thanks to our friends at Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post.

4 from 1 vote
Almond flour pizzelle - a grain-free, gluten-free holiday cookie recipe
Print
Low Carb Pizzelle
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
17 mins
 

These crisp Italian waffle cookies are a tradition for many families at Christmas. Low carb and grain free!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 122 kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a high powered blender, combine cream cheese, eggs, almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, milk, and extract. Blend until smooth.
  2. Heat pizzelle press according to manufacturer's directions. Grease only if necessary (the one I have is very non-stick and needed no oil).
  3. Pour a few tablespoons of batter into each section of the press, just behind the center of the flower or waffle pattern (this helps when you close the press because the batter gets pushed forward). It may take you a few tries to get the amount of batter and the placement just right.
  4. Close the lid and cook until just becoming golden brown. You can peek at them and see if they are cooked yet and then recluse the lid. They usually take less than a minute.
  5. Remove from press and place in a single layer on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining batter. Let them cool completely on the racks overnight for a crispier cookie.
Recipe Notes

Serves 12. Each serving has 2.01 g NET CARBS.

Food energy: 122kcal
Total fat: 9.27g
Calories from fat: 83
Cholesterol: 72mg
Carbohydrate: 3.86g
Total dietary fiber: 1.85g
Protein: 5.01g

Nutrition Facts
Low Carb Pizzelle
Amount Per Serving (2 cookies)
Calories 122 Calories from Fat 83
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9.27g 14%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Total Carbohydrates 3.86g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1.85g 7%
Protein 5.01g 10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Used to make this recipe:

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

  2. I totally agree with you about Pizzelles. They are boring! But it sure is a pretty cookie. Question: if they are soft and malleable, can this cookie be used to make canoles? Now that is a cookie I miss! All that creamy goodness – YUM!

    Love love love all of your recipes and blog. I am a true follower of your work!

    Reply

      • I borrowed my mother-in-law’s pizzelle maker and I just made these yesterday, they are absolutely wonderful and I’m not a pizzelle lover but I am now! I am going to make another batch very soon. I LOVE this cookie!!! Thank you!

        Reply

    • NOOOOO. Pizzelles are not boring… they have a subtle, delicate flavor and are good coffee dunkers. Us Italians love our pizzelles. Also, I don’t mean to offend, but no self-respecting Italian would use a pizzelle to make cannoli shells. It’s just not done. You CAN do it, but please do not call it a cannoli. Not.Even.Close. ;))

      Reply

      • Sorry but when it comes to low carbing, we do what we’ve got to do. It may not be conventional cannoli, but if it quacks like a duck, I will call it a duck. Good thing I have nothing to lose because I am not Italian! 🙂

        Reply

  3. As a faithful follower, I love your blog, Carolyn! You are so inspiring. I wouldn’t, however, think of these as only Christmas seasonal. Think ice cream cones, cannoli, etc. Or for a change up in the lunchbox, make the batter savory and stuff with cream cheese, green olives, and ham (or whatever stuffing floats your fancy) for a cannoli ‘sandwich’ of sorts. I just see so many possibilities to this seemingly seasonal treat.

    Reply

    • To be honest, I already was thinking of those things but that was before I purchased the pizzelle maker and tried them out. Now that I own one, I do have some plans for it.

      Reply

  4. These have been a staple for the last 2 years for my kiddo on the ketogenic diet. I’m not even sure how I came to own a pizzelle maker – garage sale find probably. We use a different basic batter (mac nuts, eggs, butter or oil) to get 4:1. She loves them flavored with vanilla stevia or english toffee stevia (we use sweetleaf brand). Sometimes she piles on whipped cream. We’ve done many things with these … best of all we can make a bunch. They’re really portable for on the go, school lunches, etc.

    Reply

  5. Haha, in my high-carb days I’ve pretty much only eaten pizzelle if there were no other sweets to choose instead. However, they are quite pretty! I think my kids would like them a lot too.

    Reply

  7. Thank you! These are my one cheat at Christmas, my Mom always makes them (I think every Italian mother makes them!). She always puts powdered sugar on them but I have powdered erithrytol that has the same texture that I use for French toast that will work just as well.

    Can’t wait to try them!

    Reply

  9. My pizzelle maker is 27 years old and rarely used so I need to fire it up this holiday. I love anise and always have lots on hand for flavoring. I do love pizzelles.

    Reply

  11. Hii, Carolyn

    I just wrote you a day or two ago about how to make low carb pizelles. And you had just done so!

    THANK YOU.

    Maria (off to buy cream cheese, etc, and pulling pizzelle iron out of the closet)

    Reply

      • Merry Chritmas!

        Carolyn, I cannot thank you enough for make it doable for me: the low carb life and therefore increased health and wellbeing. I get to be low carb AND have goodies for friends over for tea. It was Jan 2012 that I made your tea cake—my first venture into almond flour and low carb baking. It is a big thing to tell you: you have helped many people be healthier! I imagine that you know that….but maybe you don’t take in the awesomeness of it. Thank you, and best wishes to your family and you.

        Maria

        Reply

  12. I forgot to write that I made the pizzelles this evening. The flavor is good, and the batter worked as well as any other pizzelle batter (always tricky for me). I await their crisping up over night.

    I also made your walnut maple biscotti. I leave out the butter and add an extra egg. They are really very good. A staple for us now—and my friends who are not low carb request them.

    I have started to use xylitol recently rather than Swerve or eriythritol–i now xylitol is slightly more carby—but I think the flavor is worth it. And the almond flour, etc, does make a heftier, more satisfying goodie, and therefore i am happy to eat only one or two, so i am not concerned about the few extra carbs.

    Good food makes people happy.

    I just read this new mystery called Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew. It made me happy too.

    Maria

    Reply

  13. oh man, i’m italian and really miss pizzelles. thanks for posting this!

    and yes, it is definitely not italian to roll them up for cannolis or ice cream cones, but the texture and flavor does lend itself to that.

    Reply

  15. I’ve not had any of your recipes disappoint! Just ordered a cute mini pizelle maker (makes 3′ cookies). Can’t wait to give it a try.

    Reply

  18. Thank you for this recipe inspiration. I really wanted a low carb krumkake recipe, so I used yours to start with, put 1/2t cardamon and 1tsp vanilla and baked on a krumkake iron (about 1&1/2 TBS on my villa ware iron) and rolled and am letting cool. Tasty! Thank you again for doing so much of the upfront work as I am a super busy mom who also works outside the home.

    Reply

  19. I just purchased a used pizzelle maker just to make these!

    How can you say they are boring? I’ve not had Italian ones, only a Belgian version with caramel sandwiched between. But online I’ve seen chocolate, lemon, and even an orange rum version in my pizzelle manual. People use them molded as elegant bowls for mousse, rolled and filled with flavoured creams or mascarpone, dipped in chocolate, or decorated like sugar cookies.

    That’s why I thought it was worth the purchase (and space). I’m very excited! Thank you!

    Reply

  20. HI CAROLYN!
    I LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPE. I JUST SOW THIS RECIPE.
    I HAVE AN ICECREAM MAKER XCAN I USED THIS RECIPE
    TO MALR AN ICECREAM CONE’S
    IF I WANT BROWN CONE OR PIZZELE WHAT SOULD I DO

    THANY YOU SO MUCH.

    Reply

  21. Thank you! I have a Belgian waffle cookie recipe I was wanting to make compliant but I believe I can use your pizelle recipe with a few tweaks!

    Reply

  23. The only suggestion I have is to bake the pizzelles at a low temperature to make them crispier and crunchier like traditional pizzelles after removing from the press. My pizzelles were soft and moist and lacked a crunch even after cooling a while. I chose 200 degrees, and left them on the cooling rack to bake for approximately 10 min and then let them sit in the oven for a bit with the heat turned off. Great recipe and now I don’t have to go without my favorite Christmas treat.

    Reply

    • Followed the recipe exactly. First batch had
      to be chiseled off the iron with a metal
      scraper just like cement. Dumped the rest
      of the batter in the trash. Took most
      of the time cleaning the iron. Thanks
      anyway.

      Reply

  25. OK you non-pizzelle lovers, if you don’t like them because of the subtle flavor, try dipping them in melted 85% dark chocolate, ala fondue. They are simply fabulous that way!

    Reply

      • Typically pizelle batter is made with butter.
        Would the proportions of the flour need to change to get the same consistency?

        Reply

        • Honestly, I have only ever made them this way. I recommend it. “Traditional” doesn’t always work when it comes to low carb and high fat. Cream cheese has stabilizers in it which help keep the cookies together.

          Reply


  29. Nice recipe! I have used a pizelle maker to make crepes and manicotti for years. Rarely for pizelle.

    Thanks for this recipe…will try it — need a substitute for cream cheese (lactose). Would love any suggestions.

    Jan

    Reply

  30. Sadly, me too. I will try again, as I have made many of Carolyn recipes, and they have neve failed. It has to be on my side. On a side note, I just made pancakes out of the remaining batter. No reason to waste great ingredients.

    Reply

  31. I am so happy to have found this! I have been a long-time reader of your blog, so I don’t know why I didn’t think a low carb pizzelle recipe would exist – I should have just come here first instead of following the Google rabbit trail. 😁 Low carb stroopwafels here I come!! – from a Dutchie

    Reply

  34. Hello All, I can’t have alcohol sugar so I did use coconut sugar in my batch with a little stevia. Turned out great. I love them.
    I have a very old pizzelle iron,I had issues with them sticking but found butter worked the best instead of putting oil on the iron.
    Thank you for the recipe!! so excited I can eat pizzelles again!

    Reply

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