Caterina Casola's Family Recipe
Makes 150 pizzelles
6 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla or anise extract (pure)
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar

1. Beat the eggs until smooth. Add the oil and vanilla or anise extract. Onto the mixture, sift the flour and baking powder. Add the sugar and blend vigorously all of these dry ingredients into the egg mixture until smooth. The mixture will be sticky and stiff. Test by dropping the mixture from a small teaspoon or demi-tasse spoon. As needed, add a few tablespoons of water so that the mix drops conveniently as a ribbon in two to three seconds. If the mix is too thin, add a few tablespoons of flour.
2. Set the Color Control Dial of the Pizzelle Pro® to about 3 - 3 1/2 and bake using the red/green light cycle for timing. Alternatively, bake for approximately 45 seconds, open the lid briefly to examine the color, and bake longer as desired to create a darker/browner surface. The baking time can be shortened slightly by increasing the Color Control Dial reading about 1/2 unit.

A Sweeter Variation with Butter
Makes 200 pizzelles

6 eggs
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla or anise extract (pure)
4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar

1. Beat the eggs until smooth. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan on low heat.
2. Allow the butter to cool briefly while you blend and mix the sugar and vanilla or anise extract into the eggs.
3. Add the melted butter into the mix, sift the flour and baking powder onto the mix and blend vigorously to ensure uniformity.

Chocolate Pizzelles
Makes 150 pizzelles

1. Using Catarina Casola's pizzelle recipe (based on 6 eggs), mix and completely blend all ingredients as described.
2. Melt 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan over very low heat. Stir the chocolate periodically as it melts in order to prevent over-heating.
3. Stirring vigorously, blend the melted chocolate slowly into the pizzelle mixture.
4. Spoon the batter onto the Pizzelle Pro®, bake and enjoy!

Caterina Casola's Traditional Italian Cannoli Filling
Another recipe from the Casola family refined over generations in Italy.

1 lb. Ricotta cheese (low moisture)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or candied fruits
1 tsp. rum extract

1. Make certain to use the low moisture cheese to ensure that the filling will be sufficiently stiff. Add granulated sugar and confectioner's sugar and rum extract to the Ricotta and beat with a power mixer at a medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl periodically to ensure ingredients mix well.
2. Then add chocolate chips or fruit and beat for another 3 minutes. At this stage the Ricotta mixture should be creamy, but stiff. If it appears too stiff to extrude from a pastry bag, slowly add more confectioner's sugar to the mix and blend for another 2-3 minutes until you have the right consistency.
3. Refrigerate for a few hours before use. (It's safe to hold for 2-3 days).
4. Load pastry bag with mix and fill each cannoli shell fully.
5. Decorate the ends of the cannoli with ground toasted almonds or pistachios. For added decoration place a raspberry or shredded coconut on each end of the cannoli.
6. Immediately before serving, sprinkle lightly with confectionery sugar.

Marie Doria's Favorite Cannoli Filling Recipe
This adds a slight cinnamon flavor to the filling.

1 lb. Ricotta cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. semi-sweet grated chocolate or chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (preferrably walnuts or almonds)

1. Use low moisture Ricotta or thoroughly drain off all excess liquid from the cheese. Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon to the cheese and use an electric mixer to blend the ingredients fully.
2. Fold in the grated chocolate or chocolate chips.
3. Place the cannoli mix in a pastry bag for easy dispensing into the formed pizzelle shells.
4. Fill each shell fully with the mix, and for decorations and added flavor press the chopped nuts onto the exposed areas of the cannoli. For an interesting variation, blend 1/2 teaspoon of rum extract into the cannoli mix and prepare a tablespoon of chopped cherries or candied cherries to decorate further the exposed surface of the finished cannoli.

Marie Doria's Optional Cannoli Filling Recipe
This is an American variation, adding cream for smoother filling.

1 lb. Ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. orange liqueur
2 oz. finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
3 tbsp. chopped mixed candied fruits

1. Use moisture-free Ricotta cheese or drain off all excess liquid from the cheese. Combine the cheese, cream, sugar and orange liqueur and then blend fully will a hand mixer.
2. The mixture must be stiff enough so that it will hold its shape when used to fill the pizzelle shells. If necessary, add more cheese to stiffen the mixture.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and candied fruits.
4. Load into a pastry bag and fill each shell fully. If you wish to decorate the exposed cannoli surface, consider using chocolate bits, jimmies, more candied fruits or colored chopped nuts.

Pizzelle History
PizzellePro® (product information)