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Gingerbread meets classic Italian pizzelle in this festive holiday twist that’s crisp, spiced and impossible to resist. Gingerbread pizzelle are light and lacy cookies with just the right amount of holiday warmth from cinnamon, ginger, clove and molasses. Whether you’re making a big batch for a cookie exchange or just want to fill your kitchen with the scent of the season, these pizzelle deliver. You only need a few simple ingredients and a pizzelle iron to create these taste Italian cookies.
Gingerbread pizzelle are a cozy, crisp holiday cookie made with warm spices and molasses, perfect for cookie platters, holiday gifting or seasonal baking traditions.
Love sweet treats? Also try Italian chocolate chestnut cookies, chocolate salami, lemon pizzelle, lemon cheesecake bars and blueberry cheesecake bars.
Why You’ll Love It
They’re festive and fun: These cookies are perfect for the holidays and full of nostalgic gingerbread flavor.
Thin and crisp texture: Gingerbread pizzelle cookies are light and crunchy, making them a great contrast to soft or chewy cookies.
Easy to customize: Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate for a fun finish.
Quick to make: The batter comes together fast, and the pizzelle iron cooks them in under a minute.
Great for gifting: Their delicate look and festive flavor make them perfect for cookie boxes or party favors.
Make-ahead friendly: These cookies stay crisp for several days when stored properly.
Gingerbread Pizzelle Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Eggs: Help bind the batter and give the pizzelle structure.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a light crisp texture.
Cinnamon, ginger and clove: Provide that signature warm, spicy gingerbread flavor.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the spices.
White vinegar: Adds a little tang and helps activate the baking soda.
Butter: Keeps the cookies tender with a hint of richness.
Molasses: The key ingredient for that deep, cozy gingerbread flavor.
All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the batter.
Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise slightly and crisp up.
Powdered sugar: Also known as icing sugar and confectioner’s sugar. For dusting over the cooled pizzelle to finish.
How to Make Christmas Pizzelles
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Whisk the eggs and sugar: Beat together until the mixture is light and frothy.
Add spices and wet ingredients: Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, clove, salt, vinegar, butter and molasses until smooth.
Mix in the flour and baking soda: Combine until a soft, thick batter forms.
Heat and oil the pizzelle iron: Preheat your pizzelle iron and lightly spray it with oil.
Cook the pizzelle: Drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto the iron and cook until golden.
Cool and dust: Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Substitutions and Variations
Make them gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if needed.
Add citrus zest: A touch of orange or lemon zest adds a bright, fresh note.
Different spices: I like the combination of equal parts cinnamon, ginger and clove, but you can tweak the amount of each one if you like.
Try a different flavor altogether: Flavor the pizzelle cookies however you prefer. Some home bakers like to make them with vanilla extract and almond extract, while others go for anise seeds or anise extract (which tastes like black licorice). Others like to experiment with ground cardamom or cocoa powder. Some bakers even like to dip their batch of pizzelles in chocolate bark or melted chocolate. You might like to divide up the dough and flavor each batch differently!
Serving Suggestions
With a festive drink: Pair your pizzelle with a Santa’s hat cocktail, white Christmas punch or festive hot chocolate.
With other sweet treats: Whip up a Christmas tree cake dip. too.
With savory festive snacks: Enjoy a reindeer cheese ball or Christmas tree charcuterie board.
How to Store Gingerbread Pizzelle
Store: These cookies will keep for up to a week in a cookie tin. Don’t refrigerate them, as the humidity will make them soften quicker.
Freeze: They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Either freeze them on a baking sheet and then transfer into a freezer-safe bag or container, or put wax paper or parchment paper between the layers if freezing them all together.
Thaw: Defrost them on the counter. This won’t take long as they’re pretty thin.
Top Tips
Use the right amount of batter: Too much will spill over the iron, and too little won’t reach the edges.
Let them cool completely: They crisp up as they cool, so don’t stack them too soon.
Oil the iron lightly: Too much oil can affect the crispness.
Using a pizzelle iron: Although most can be simply closed and left alone for 45 seconds, some (including the Dash brand) should be pressed down for the first half of the cooking time. This is so the lid doesn’t rise up and produce a less crispy cookie. Check the manufacturer’s directions before using.
Keep an eye while cooking: Pizzelle can go from golden to burnt quickly.
Gingerbread Pizzelle Cookie FAQs
If they aren’t coming out crispy, you either aren’t leaving them in there for long enough or else you’re in a humid climate, in which case you can put them in a 200 degrees F oven for a few minutes to dry them out a little more.
Although there are replacements, only a pizzelle iron or pizzelle maker will make authentic Christmas pizzelles because it presses them to the right shape, gets them nice and thin (to make them crispy!) and has the right baking time to cook them right without burning them. You can use a pizzelle press to make cannoli shells, so they’re good for more than cookies. If you don’t have one, you could try a griddle and pressing the cookies down or even a waffle iron. But again you aren’t going to get the right pattern on the cookies and they won’t be thin and crispy either.
Holiday Gingerbread Pizzelle Recipe
Gingerbread Pizzelle
Equipment
- Spatula or Pie Server
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- ½ Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ Teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ Cup butter, melted
- ¼ Cup molasses
- 1 ¾ Cups all purpose flour
- ½ Teaspoon baking soda
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- spray oil, to grease pizzelle iron
Instructions
- Preheat your pizzelle iron.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until it becomes slightly frothy.
- Add in the spices and salt, mix well.
- Add the melted butter, vinegar, and molasses, mix again.
- Add the flour and baking soda, mix until fully combined.
- Lightly oil the pizzelle iron
- Scoop about one tablespoon of batter onto the open iron, you may need to adjust how much batter you use per cookie based on the iron you’re using. Close the lid and cook the pizzelle for approximately 45 seconds, check and cook longer as needed. The cookies should be golden when they are done.
- Use a thin heat safe spatula (a pie server works well) and gently lift the pizzelle off of the iron. Place the cookie onto a wire cooling rack. As the cookie cools it will become crisp.
- When cooled, eat as-is or dust with a generous amount of powdered sugar.
Notes
Let them cool completely: They crisp up as they cool, so don’t stack them too soon.
Oil the iron lightly: Too much oil can affect the crispness.
Using a pizzelle iron: Although most can be simply closed and left alone for 45 seconds, some (including the Dash brand) should be pressed down for the first half of the cooking time. This is so the lid doesn’t rise up and produce a less crispy cookie. Check the manufacturer’s directions before using.
Keep an eye while cooking: Pizzelle can go from golden to burnt quickly.
Nutrition
This Italian gingerbread pizzelle recipe isn’t something to omit from your Christmas time baking. They’re perfect for Christmas gift giving and this classic pizzelle recipe is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. Enjoy gingerbread pizzelles with ice cream or just as they are. This classic Italian cookie recipe will be a cookie that you make year after year. Tasty thin Italian waffle cookies are perfect with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa, or give some as holiday gifts.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Made these today to give away. Great tasting. Just wondered why baking soda and not baking powder as all other recipes call for BP.
Regardless, great tasting. I think I would add a little more ginger.
PS: I see you offer an explanation of the vinegar/BS balance as a leavening agent. Never knew.
Yes I’ve been using this recipe for years – I love pizzelle. Glad yours came out great!
The most simple and delicious recipe. Think and crispy. Tastes like grandma bread s here. I made sure to update my spices since they lose some flavor from year to year.
Oh great tip about the spices! You really can tell a difference with fresh spices
I made these Gingerbread Pizzelle and they were a big hit. Definitely will be making these for the holidays
So glad you liked them!
Will definitely be in my Christmas cookie bake!
What’s the purpose of the vinegar in this recipe? Is it necessary?
Hi Bonnie, good question! The reason for the vinegar is it reacts with the baking soda in the pizzelle recipe and the combination makes carbon dioxide bubbles that work as leavening agents. These tiny little bubbles expand during cooking and help give the pizzelle cookies their perfect texture. Interestingly, a splash of vinegar often features in vegan cookie and cake recipes, since they can’t have eggs to help them get that “rise” 🙂
Best recipe I’ve tried. Delicious and very easy.
Delicious and beautiful! Gingerbread is such a yummy blend of flavors, with the molasses and the warm and cozy seasonal spices. The pairing of it with pizzelles is awesome.
I subbed in butter for the margarine and used GF flour. Our family thoroughly enjoyed them! Will def make again and use for gifting too! Thank you for sharing! 🤩💕👏
Great to hear you enjoyed it. I have made them several times gluten free, too
Absolutely beautiful and delicious!!
My nonna used to make these and now I’m making them for my grandkids 😀
Gingerbread is so much better than anise! Yum
vinegar??
Why??!!
Vinegar is common in gingerbread flavoured cookies. A very small amount of vinegar enhances the spices. You do not taste the vinegar.
ahhh…va bene!