Thursday, December 17, 2015

Good Fences and A Special Traditional Treat

Hi Friends
and 
Welcome to
 Good Fences today.

With Christmas nearly here,
I've been a bit busy and my fence photos are running out.
I hope to find some great new fences
during the holiday as we do some traveling about.

Here is one I recently found while on my way
to grocery shop. 
It was near the Gazebo I shared last week.


This pretty iron and decorative fence was by a walk way 
up to a building in town.
Love the stone work below the fence.

My shopping trip,
 past this pretty fence, was to gather the ingredients 
I needed to make
a Traditional Italian Cookie 
called Pizzelles
and
made in my family at Christmas for years.

Starting with my Italian grandmother who made these
every year, to my mother and then taught to me
these delicious thin cookies are very special.

In the beginning,
these delicate lacy looking cookies
were typically made years ago with an iron held over the store burner
to bake the cookies one at a time.
Very labor intensive to create.

Long about the time my mother began making them,
she used a double electric iron maker from Italy.
They still take time to make, only 2 at a time,
but the goodness and the taste, so well worth  the time.



Here's the iron, called Pizzelle Chef.
 It looks a bit like a waffle maker.
My maker above is about 35 years old and still working great.


 In the inside you can see the design for the cookies
and when the iron is closed it cooks from both sides making 
2 cookies at a time.

You have to work quickly, time each one as you go along
and carefully pull off, trim and lay flat to cool.


Here's the process I used
while my hubby watched at the bar in the kitchen,
waiting for samples.

First I made the batter
which looks like this.


I usually make a double batch which makes 120 cookies.
If I'm going to all this work,
 I want to make as much as I can.
They freeze really well for later too.

So for a double batch it takes
 7 cups flour, 
 12 eggs,  
4 sticks of butter,
 3 cups sugar
 and  8 tablespoons of vanilla.

Wow, sounds like the ingredients for a heart attack!!
But when you spread this all out for 120 cookies,
your're not getting that much fat and calories in each one.
Well, at least that's my reasoning.


After the iron is hot and ready to begin.
I place a dollop of the batter in the middle of the design.
Close the lid tight and began to time about 32 seconds.
You just time it in your head, no timer is needed.
Once the time is about up, open the lid,
and here is the cookie.


Working quickly and remember, this is hot,
you pull the cookie off the design carefully
and lay it out to cool and harden.

At this point, I start the next 2 cookies
 and in that timing,
I trim off any  cookie that spread past the design.

I start a bowl for the trimmings.
These crumbs are good to freeze to use as a topping
on cakes, ice cream or  pudding
 and last up to one year placed in the freezer.
But I can tell you, they don't last that long around here.


As they cool I begin to stack them on a large cookie sheet.

Beautiful once again and so very good.
Many people traditionally make these with anise flavoring,
but my family have always loved them using vanilla.


So pretty served on a Christmas plate.

Oh and yes, hubby was there to be the taster.
He gave them a thumbs up
and enjoys these as an ice cream sandwich too.

Simply cut a slice of vanilla ice cream 
or any flavor you like
and 
sandwich the ice cream between 2 cookies.
SOOOO GOOD!!
You can also
roll them like a cone while still hot off the iron, 
let cool and it becomes an ice cream cone.

I freeze some cookies at Christmas
and in the summer, 
they make the best summer 
treat as an ice cream sandwich on a hot Texas day.

The key is the iron. The batter really can't be used any other way
and is formulated to be thin and crisp.

Wish I could send you all a batch.
They do sell them in grocery stores during the holiday.
But trust me,
they are not as good as homemade!!


Wishing you a great rest of the week
as we look towards the big day!

Merry Christmas

Joining

See you tomorrow.
Celestina Marie

43 comments:

Anna said...

Delicious post !!!!
Have a lovely day !
Anna

Christine said...

Oh my Celestinathese sound perfect for any occasion! My hubby in particular would love these & with ice cream he' d think it bliss!
Thanks for sharing & for the pretty railings & stonewall too!
Enjoy your day!

TexWisGirl said...

i saw those cookies on another blog just yesterday. :)

lovely scrollwork on that fence!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh two at a time my oh my that would ake patience but I can feel in your post it is a labour of love. Thay are beautiful just beautiful. Love the fence too. Hugs B

eileeninmd said...

Hello, your Christmas cookies look delicious. YUM! Great fence shot. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.

Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

Valerie-Jael said...

Mmmh, those cookies look good! I wish you could send a bunch through the net, too! Have a great day and enjoy! Hugs, Valerie

Kim said...

Ah...tasty memories of my childhood! Thank you for the (very) sweet reminder! :)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I like that fence..pretty! The cookies sound tasty and are very pretty! I imagine a lot of patience is involved!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful tutorial Celestina! I have never made these before as I do not have an iron but I enjoy eating them that's for sure! I'll have to look into buying an iron I guess. Looks soooo good!!

Jan Hermann said...

Love the color and style of the fence. Hope you find more for future posts.

I love Pizzelles and haven't had any of them since my Italian great-Aunt passed away, many years ago. My Italian aunt married my father's brother. No one kept up the tradition, I guess and none of the cousins have ever kept in touch.

I have my own special cookies and goodies I make for Christmas!

Hugs,
Jan ♥

Roosterhead Designs said...

Very cool fence Celeste! I like that idea of photographing and posting fences. It makes you look around a little bit. doesn't it!?! Gets you to be more aware as you are out and about - thinking and watching... so cool~
I loved your Pizzelle story too! and your mom's old iron!!
We had dear family friends who made them every year. So crispy yummy - but I am not a huge fan of the anise flavor in cookies - - so when I saw your family tradition of adding vanilla instead! I was pretty excited. I'd never heard of that~ Thanks for sharing and have a great week-end my friend: ) ~Karen O

The Bear's Blog said...

Oh my, they look wonderful and maybe just a bit too pretty to eat.

Enjoy.

Sue Kosec said...

I absolutely LOVE pizzelles. Have one for me! My mom used to make them. Hmmmmmm - wonder what happened to her iron?

Merry Christmas!
xo
SuZeQ

Existe Sempre Um Lugar said...

Para si e para a sua família desejo um Natal de Luz! Abençoado e repleto de alegrias.

Dorthe said...

How beautiful they are , and they must taste so wonderful, dear, they are also a labor of love, and so lovely that you also have the memories from back, when your mother also made them.
Sweet Celestina Marie, I wish you a most wonderful Merry Christmas, and all the best for the new year 2016.
Thank you for your frienship this year, I lov evisiting your beautiful blog.
Hugs from Dorthe

Unknown said...

Celestina Marie, I would like to have Pizzells and Ice Cream right now.
Please,
LJ

Anonymous said...

I do not know if I could have the patience to cook these delicacies. I guess the memory of your grandmother must helps .A lot of work in the kitchen but the result is worth it. I have never seen this kind of cakes before.
Look light and delicious. Helene

Lisa said...

These cookies remind me of a friend who craved them during her pregnancy and her sweet neighbor would make and bring them to her. Wow! I did not know they were so much work! I know they are delicious though. You are so sweet to make and share them.

Nancy Chan said...

Beautiful iron fence with the stone work. Your traditional Italian cookies looks so yummy. This is the first time I see the cookie maker.

Andrea Ostapovitch said...

Those cookies look so beautiful and delicious!

Donna said...

It was so fun to see just how pizzelles are made, thank you for sharing! For some reason I thought the batter would be thin like pancake batter. Wow, labor intensive, but so worth it! Yours look delish, and I can imagine even better made into ice cream sandwiches:) I bet they would be amazing dipped in melted chocolate, too!!

Cynthia said...

My sister in-law makes these and they're so good and light. Love with ice cream or carmalized fruit

Cindy

Row homes and Cobblestones said...

Celeste,
Yes, I loved your fence today but OMGosh Pizzelles???? Yes, yes, yes an annual tradition in Italian households. Actually I'm only Italian by injection according to my husband and this Polish girl loves my Pizzelles rolled into a cone with ice- cream. Now believe it or not we both have the exact same electric iron for making them. John's Grandmom made them over the stove, one by one, perfectly imperfect, I attempted making them with that iron, I'm a modern girl (OK old girl) and I use the same one as you. Funny how in Blog Land something this simple can connect hearts together,
xoxo,
Vera
PS rolled and loaded with pecan ice cream equals absolute yum!!!!


Alessandra said...

Another lovely fence! Your cookies look so yummy..mmmm!!!!
Hugs
Alessandra

20 North Ora said...

WOW - Your cookies look delicious. I can almost smell them. How long does it take you to make that 120?

Judy

Createology said...

Great wrought iron fence. Love your cookie making and the recipe looks very simple. I can tell they are delicious. Merry Pizzelle Christmas Dear...

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

I just love pizzelles but I have never made them! I make all the other Italian cookies I grew up with but never those. I think I even have a newer pizzelle maker around somewhere. You make it looks so easy!

Creations by Marie Antoinette and Edie Marie said...

Pizzelles are the best cookie EVER! We made them for years and they were a favorite for everyone we knew. I can close my eyes and imagine the smell of your home while you were making them! Mmmmm... wonderful!!

Love and blessings for the merriest of Christmases! Edie

Anonymous said...

So much labor, but definitely worth it! I would love to try them with ice cream!

Anonymous said...

I found your blog thru Connie's. I'm your newest follower. :-)

Wow those cookies are beautiful and dainty! Great that your pizzelle griddle works so well after all these years.

Love the garden fence. Very victorian.

cynthia lee designs said...

Your Christmas cookies look so yummy!! I can almost smell them!! I'll be making my cookies at the beginning of next week.
Hope you have a very Merry Christmas.
hugs,
Cindy

Rose said...

I wish you could send us a batch, too!

Joy Junktion said...

Pizzelles are Delicioso!! I have never had the honor of making them, but have several Italian friend who do and, oh my, do I love them! So delicate and tasty! I hope you enjoy the days ahead and God's richest blessings, Cindy

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Yum!! I love Christmas goodies. Your painted Santa is awesome! I love to see your creative treasures.
Merry Christmas,
deb

Rose L said...

I have never heard of or seen a pizelle maker, but it sounds great and would be fun to make things with. Wonder if there are recipes for it online!?

Debbie Harris said...

Oooh yum,pizzelles! I enjoyed watching you make your cookies. This year I didn't make pizzelles, just didn't have the time. My sister was sure hoping I would, may try and make them in the New Year to satisfy her craving.
I never use the anise in my pizzells as no one cares for it.

Enjoy your weekend coming up, Celestina.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

The fence is quite lovely. I do enjoy seeing so many different fences. You have been busy. The pizzelle cookies are so pretty. I have never made them. I have no doubt the homemade ones are superior to any store bought. Merry Christmas sweet friend. xo

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

My late beloved always loved pizzelles, Celeste, and even though his family was not Italian, his mom would make them. We grew up with a lot of Italians in Columbus, Ohio. Several years ago, I bought a pizzelle maker and he was a happy guy. They are a wondeful cookie and I always think of Rich when I eat one. I put anise oil in mine, but this year I think I'll try half with and half with just the vanilla, as some of my family doesn't like the anise flavor. I enjoyed watching you make the pizzelles in your post and could just picture Larry waiting patiently for a taste! I am going to make some after Christmas because I have a nephew that I send them to for his birthday and also to my sister for her birthday, both of which are in January.
Happy weekend, sweet friend!
Love and hugs are sent to you, Kitty

Conniecrafter said...

Oh Wow I don't think I have ever heard of these, that is so interesting and neat that you can use them all year around. Isn't it amazing how well they use to make items, they would last for years. Have a great weekend!!

Dreaming of Vintage said...

I love iron fences, so pretty! I also love pizzelle's and yours look wonderful Celestina! Have a wonderful weekend!

craftyles said...

They are beautiful cookies. I love the history behind them. No wonder Hubby was there waiting for a sample. The fence was a pretty one.Happy weekend!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Hi Celeste! I am finally here, late but happy to wish you a WONDERFUL Christmas! Love, Anita

Feral Turtle said...

These cookies are incredible! I love your electric iron. I think I have seen the mold for making these at this European store in the city and always wondered about them....now I know. Although they aren't electric and quite pricey. Wanted to pop by and wish you and your family a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wishing you a very happy New Year too!! XOXO

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Celestina Marie
Celestina Marie

Welcome To Rose Garden Market from Celestina Marie Design. It is so nice to meet you. My name is Celestina Marie named after my grandmother and my friends call me Celeste.My creative journey extends over 30 years enjoying the love of painting and redesigning vintage and new treasures. I love to go treasure hunting and the fun of finding great vintage pieces to redesign..