Gluten Free Pizzelles

Gluten Free Pizzelle

It may seem unbelievable that you can recreate the Italian classic pizzelle recipe using gluten free Bisquick but in fact you can.  If you’ve been following this blog then you know that I use a lot of gluten free Bisquick.  I’ve had a great deal of success converting many of my dessert recipes by replacing the flour and leavening agents (baking soda or baking powder) with an equal measure of gf Bisquick.  

Today I tackled the pizzelle recipe that came with my cuisinart pizzelle iron.  The original recipe called for flour and baking powder.  Gf Bisquick contains gf flour with baking powder and baking soda.  

The recipe calls for a full tablespoon of vanilla as well.  The acidity in vanilla extract reacts with baking soda which produces an additional leavening effect.  Since there was no baking soda in the original recipe the extra leavening translated to tiny bubbles in the cookies that I don’t remember in the original cookie.  

Nevertheless these tiny bubbles had no effect on the taste or texture of the pizzelle.  But in an effort to recreate this  cookie of my childhood more precisely I’ve got a few suggestions.  To avoid the tiny bubbles while still using gf bisquick I’d suggest using a teaspoon of vanilla instead of a tablespoon to cut down on the reaction.  Also using a different flavoring agent entirely like more traditional anise seeds should work even better.  

Beyond that you could skip the gf Bisquick all together and use an all purpose gf flour blend that contains xanthan gum.  In that case you’d need to add the baking powder amount listed in the notes.  But this version without any changes is so good as it is that I wouldn't even worry about the tiny bubbles.        

Ingredients list:

•          1 ¾ cups gluten free Bisquick
•          3 large eggs
•          ¾ cup granulated sugar
•          ½ cup butter, melted
•          1 tbsp of vanilla extract  

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions:

1. Add the vanilla to the melted butter and set aside.   Whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined. 
2. Add the melted butter and vanilla in a slow steady stream while continuing to whisk until well blended.
3. Add the Bisquick and using a rubber spatula stir everything together until just combined but don’t over mix.
4. Each Pizzelle Press is slightly different so you should follow the instructions that come with your particular machine.  Bake them on the grids for the length of time needed to achieve your preferred level of darkness.  

Notes:  If you are not following a gluten free diet, replace the 1 ¾ cups gluten free Bisquick with 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour & 2 teaspoons baking powder as is called for in the original recipe that comes with the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press. 

Pizzelle Dessert Cups

If you’ll be molding your pizzelle into dessert cups or cannoli, lighter colored pizzelle work best since they are more pliable than darker ones.  But, they will need to be filled immediately before serving as they tend to get very soggy quickly.  They also make awesome ice cream sandwiches.