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 Have you ever had a Pizzelle?

I hadn’t until my friend Justine recently got married. Her grandmother had made all these homemade Italian cookies called Pizzelle for her wedding, and some of them she made into homemade cannolis. I was hooked at first bite! Delicate and Delicious is about the best way to describe them.

 pizzelle maker from Chef's Choice

To make the Pizzelle you need a Pizzelle maker though, it is going to make life much easier. I have heard of people making them like pancakes, but you won’t get the pretty designs and it will take you much longer. So, I went in search of a Pizzelle Iron. After reading up on them, the different types available and reading the reviews of the different makers that are on the market I knew I wanted a Chef’sChoice PizzellePro.

Chef’s Choice received rave reviews, and now, I have to add mine to them. Love it. And as I go, I am finding even more things I can use it for, you will have to wait for another post to find those out though.

ingredients for Italian Pizzelle Cookies

I decided to make chocolate pizzelle. There are MANY different recipes out there for pizzelle. Most make a TON. I knew that I didn’t want to make over 100 cookies, and I knew I wanted chocolate but at the end I will tell you how to make some vanilla ones as well.

You are going to need:

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

chocolate Italian pizzelle cookie dough

Beat the eggs and sugar together for about 3 minutes until fluffy and light yellow in color. Slowly drizzle in the butter. Using a spatula fold in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder until well mixed.

pizzelle maker by Chef's Choice

It took me a few tries to get the right amount of batter. As you can see in the picture the one on the left is a little whop-sided, and needed more batter, the one on the right is almost there. It ends up being about a Tablespoon of batter to get the right coverage to make a full pizzelle. Once you put the batter on the pizzelle iron and close the lid it only takes about 30 seconds and they are done!! Don’t walk away.

roll the cookie while warm

If you want to make cannoli, you will need to wrap the hot pizzelle around the roller that comes with the maker. It only comes with one so you need to be pretty quick or find something in the kitchen that will work along with the roller that comes with it. I am using the handle of a spoon.

pizzelle cookies

Aren’t they pretty!! The cookies are great on their own, but seriously, how can you make these and not make some into cannoli?

ingredients for cannoli filling

For the filling you will need:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar.

frosting decorator

Once you have the filling mixed well you can either put it in the cannoli shells using a baggie with a hole cut in a corner or use a frosting tool thingy-ma-bob. I found mine at Target on clearance.

pizzelle and filling a cannoli makes

And as you can see…it works GREAT!

I will warn you, these are addictive.

Once you get them all made you will need to refrigerate them, unless you eat them all, like we are prone to do.

NOTE: If you want to make vanilla ones, all you have to do is leave out the cocoa powder and replace it with one teaspoon of vanilla. You could also experiment with other flavors, like lemon…that is my next one to try.

“Thanks to Chef’s Choice for providing the PizzellePro to help facilitate this post!!”

 

 The holidays sure are busy around here. We are still baking and delivering. I might be done by July. Hehe, Christmas in July. Sorry, couldn’t resist. One of my favorite things to make happens to be cookies. And this year we got really creative thanks to Domino Sugar and their 1001 Cookie Starter Mix. Talk about wonderful, easy and convenient. LOVE it!!

Domino Sugar’s 1001 Cookie Starter Mix is the secret to creating dozens of homemade treats, all from just five simple ingredients. The 1001 Cookie Starter makes 10 cups of dough and can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to bake. Simply add your own ingredients to the mix and create your own special cookies!

Domino Sugar Cookie Recipe Card

You should totally try out the starter mix. It has soooo many different uses. I think 1001 are just the start. You can also enter your recipe in the Domino Sugar Facebook page contest (http://on.fb.me/rQnkrf) . Ends Jan. 5th. Prizes include one grand prize baking gift basket valued at $350 and four runner-up prizes of baking gift baskets valued at $100 each! You will also receive a Domino® Sugar coupon and a promo code good for 40% off Chicago Metallic bakeware on www.chicagometallic.com just for entering your recipe.

So, one of the favorites that we made? Well, simple really but OhMyStinkinHeck delicious! Here is what we did:

Cookie Starter ingredients

Gather up the ingredients for the Domino Cookie Starter, mix up a bath according to their directions.

cookie starter dough

 Divide the dough up and freeze what you aren’t going to use.

Rolo Cookie ingredients

 Domino Sugar Cookie Starter made into Rolo Cookies!!

Simply take your cookie starter and add in 1 cup chopped pecans, 1 egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla flavoring. Mix well.

Take a small amount of dough and wrap around a Rolo, making sure that the Rolo is sealed inside the dough.

Place each cookie in a mini-muffin tin.

rolo cookie dough

 Bake on 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

This is going to depend a lot on your oven. You don’t want them to get over-done.

Rolo Cookies

Eat and Enjoy!!!


AND, Domino Sugar is going to provide a $50 Visa gift card to give away to one lucky reader.

And don’t forget that you can enter YOUR cookie recipe on the Domino Sugar Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/rQnkrf), simply like the page, review the recipe submissions, and then you can also leave a comment with their favorite recipe entry.

TO ENTER the giveaway here simply leave a comment. Tell me how you would use the giftcard, what your favorite cookie is, or just say “I want to win”. All entries must be received by Jan. 2nd at 11:59 PM EST.  All entries must have a valid US mailing address. Winner will be selected randomly and  will have 3 days to respond to the verification e-mail or another winner will be chosen.

Want Extra Entries:

Subscribe to The Post-It Place (either by a reader or request in your comment to be added to the e-mail list for contests and giveaways).

Follow  Jillybean01 on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway : Enter to win a $50 giftcard thanks to @DominoSugar and @Jillybean01 at  http://thepost-itplace.com/?p=8928 #Domino1001                  (can tweet daily)

Friend Me on Facebook AND tell your friends on Facebook about this giveaway. They will love ya for it!

Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post.

 

“I was provided some of the information contained in this post along with a gift card from Domino Sugar.”

 

 

 

Snowmen sugar cookies are sure to be a big hit with the kids this year! Easy and fun to make on a cold afternoon to help brighten any day:

Snowmen Cookies

Ingredients:

•1-Altoid® Tin

•Royal icing

•Sugar cookies

•Chocolate sprinkles for eyes

•Molded Starburst® for scarf

•Orange colored, chocolate coveredsunflower seeds

Instructions: Prepare sugar cookies and royal icing using a favorite family recipe.

1.Assemble the lower half of the snowman by stacking three Altoid pieces together. Secure together by putting a drop of royal icing between each piece.

2.To make snowman head, put singular Altoid on flat surface and apply chocolate sprinkle eyes and sunflower seed nose to the face, adhering with icing.

3.Place a drop of icing on top of base and secure head in an upright position. Repeat steps one through three until the desired amount of snowmen are created.

4.Let snowmen dry for 30 minutes.

5.While snowmen are drying, sculpt Starburst into long, tubular shapes. Twist two Starburst colors together to make multi-colored scarves. (One Starburst makes about 3 scarves)

6.Wrap completed scarves around neck of snowmen.

7.Ice sugar cookies and place finished mini Altoid snowmen on top before the icing hardens.‘Tis the season for holiday cookies. This year give sugar cookies a whimsical touch by adding mini snowmen. These cookies are an edible centerpiece that will delight kids and adults alike!

“Thanks to Wrigley’s for supplying the information and products to help facilitate this post. I was in no other way compensated…just found this a really fun thing to do while we wait on Saturday!”

 

Why is it an OhMyGosh Dessert? Well, let me tell you the story behind it.

I was recently traveling with my friend Christy and we found ourselves in Jackson, Mississippi. While we were in Jackson we met the most interesting and fabulous man you would ever hope to meet, Chef Luis Bruno. Luis invited us to dinner at his restaurant that night and we decided to go and visit some more with Luis. Well, Luis cooked for us. Ohhh-Emmm-Geee! It was by far the best food I have ever put in my mouth. The appetizers alone made me melt. I love scallops and when he brought out scallops cooked perfectly, served on a bed of risotto that was all nestled in shell…he had me! Then I tasted the sweet potato chips. They had some sot of sauce but I can’t really tell you what it was but that it was delicious! I couldn’t try the shrimp because they had jalapeno on them…but they sure looked good and I was almost willing to risk it but seriously didn’t want to end up in the ER that night. Anyway, all that to say that Chef Bruno knows his food. Of course he worked at the Governor’s Mansion in Mississippi for like 8 or 9 years, so I imagine he should. And after eating all the different food, all of which was delicious he insisted that we try a dessert. Knowing that I couldn’t eat another bite I tried it…and I fell in love. In love with Luis, in love with his food, and especially this dessert. And, I ate every bite.

I love it so much that I cam home and have made it 3 times since then and still haven’t gotten a decent picture because we just can’t wait that long. Yes, pathetic we might be…but I assure you that with this dessert it just can’t be helped.

personal pan cookie

This was made for me by Chef Bruno in a small round cast iron skillet. I am not sure that it would be the same in anything other than cast iron but you could try. I went and bought some small cast iron skillets to use. I only bought 3 because these little ovals are enough for 2 people and then after my Mom tried this we had to take another trip to the Lodge Iron Skillet store in South Pittsburg, TN to get 6 of the little round skillets. (she apparently wants me to make this often and in great quantities).LOL, seriously though she wants me to make it for a party she is having. We really don’t eat that much. Most of the time anyway.

Ok, so here is what you need make it:

ingredients Yep, just 3 ingredients! It is that simple, but the end results are going to floor you.

step 1

Take some chocolate chip cookie dough and fill the bottom of your pan with it. Just pat it out and smush it in there. I like to use Nestle Toll House in the tub. Number one, that is my favorite ready made cookie dough, and number 2 it goes a long way.

step 2

Bake it on 425-450 for about 10 minutes. You don’t want it to get over done. I have found that it is best a little under-done. And then I smack it on the counter as I set it down and the center depresses in a little and makes the perfect spot for the ice cream!

Don’t you just love all these technical terms I am using today?

Ok, here is where things go a little haywire. I don’t have pictures for the rest of the steps. Sorry! It came out of the oven and all I could think about was sinking my spoon in.

Next, you will place a scoop of Edy’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream on top.

Then you will drizzle with caramel sauce.

Then…

dessert

EAT!

Yes, eat it while it is still warm. I am telling you…you will be moaning and groaning it is so good.

Now, for sake of disclosure…Chef Bruno made a Dolce de Leche sauce by taking a can of sweetened condensed milk and boiling it for an hour and a half. Something about breaking the sugars down, turning into caramel, blah, blah, blah. He explained it all too me and how to make it and everything but the minute he said or you can just buy some caramel he lost me on the rest. SO, if you want it to be authentically his recipe you are welcome to boil a can and break sugars down. Me, I just wanted the instant gratification stuff.

You will have to check out Chef Bruno! He has a cookbook, a line of spices and even makes his own dishes. I mean like he has a line of plates and stuff…out of glass. They are GORGEOUS! I would love to have a whole set. And his spices…Mmmm, I have a couple that I have been playing around with but that is a whole nother post.

I am going to suggest that you get a hold of some strong appetite suppressants. You are going to need them…like I said, we have made this dessert 3 times in less than a week. Let me know what you think…I can’t wait to hear how you like it!!

*This was posted with permission from Luis Bruno.

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