Children have their toys, and I have my kitchen gadgets. I love my pizzelle press, and these Pizzelle Fruit Cups are the result of some quality playtime. My family loves to eat pizzelle just as they are, but shaping them and filling them with juicy, fresh fruit takes these cookies from a quick afternoon snack to beautiful, delicious desserts.
If you’re looking for other desserts that are almost too pretty to eat (almost), check out this Delicious Mandelmusslor Recipe, my Orange Creme Brulee (made extra simple thanks to an Instant Pot), and this showstopping Choux au Craquelin Recipe.
What Makes This Recipe Work?
This recipe is so simple, but it elevates fresh fruit to “elegant” status, a gorgeous dessert you could easily serve at a fancy brunch or special occasion dinner. After all, don’t we all love recipes that look like we spent way more time on them than we did? Other than the wait time between mixing and cooking, this recipe comes together very quickly.
These Pizzelle Fruit Cups are also really easy on the eyes. It’s hard to beat the “wow” factor thanks to all the vibrant colors, and this recipe puts the fruit on full display inside a lacy, delicate (and edible!) cup. Of course, the cookie adds its own decorative element, as well as texture, a touch of sweetness, and the lovely aroma of vanilla and orange. It’s a light but sweet-tooth-satisfying dessert, so it’s nice to serve at the end of a heavier meal. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and call it breakfast!
I also love that this recipe lets you work around what’s seasonal, so you can swap out the fruit as needed and serve it all year long.
Ingredients
- Eggs- I always use large eggs in my recipes.
- Sugar- Using granulated sugar helps with the crispness of these pizzelle cookies, so I don’t recommend substituting with something else.
- Butter- Choose unsalted butter. No need to soften. Have a little extra melted butter on hand to brush over the pizzelle maker.
- Orange zest- A Microplane works really well for this. Just be sure to scrape only the colorful top layer of the orange. The white pithy portion underneath is bitter. This is also really good with lemon zest as well!
- Vanilla- Always use pure vanilla extract if available.
- Flour- I like unbleached, all-purpose flour.
- Whole wheat pastry flour- This flour is a little lighter than regular whole wheat, so it’s great for baking. If you like to grind your own flour as I do, look for soft winter wheat. (I’m currently loving Farm Fresh Wheat out of Washington state.)
- Baking powder- Make sure your baking powder is new-ish. It can lose its “poof” over time.
- Salt- Fine kosher salt is what I keep on hand for baking.
- Fruit- For this recipe, I used strawberries, blackberries, mango, and kiwi. You’ll want to cut everything roughly the same size so some of everything makes it into your fruit cups.
How to Make
- Whip your eggs and sugar until nice and fluffy.
- Add your vanilla, salt, melted butter, and orange zest. Feel free to just grate the zest directly into your bowl.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix just until the batter is combined to avoid building up the gluten.
- The batter needs to sit for about an hour before cooking, so this is the perfect time to prep your fruit.
- When it’s time, cook the batter in your pizzelle iron according to the instructions. When they’re golden brown - and still hot and pliable, drape them over glasses.
- Once they’re cool, you’re ready to make the individual fruit cups!
Tips for Making These Pizzelle Fruit Cups
- It only takes a small amount of batter per pizzelle. I find that a small cookie scoop holds the perfect amount and ensures all the cookies are the same size.
- This is the pizzelle maker I use and has worked well.
- As I mentioned earlier, this dish works with many different fruits: berries, kiwi, plums, peaches, bananas, grapes, and more. Just imagine your favorite fruit salad in cups this delicate and crispy! You can also leave out the orange zest and use almond extract instead of vanilla if it complements your fruit better.
- I wanted a shallower cup, so I used a wider glass for draping the pizzelle. Using a narrower glass will create a deeper cup. No need to worry about making sure the pizzelles are perfectly straight on the cups. Just make sure they’re still hot when you start draping them.
- Want to make these fruit cups a little more decadent and rich? You can add the lemon curd, vanilla custard, or something like this Creamy Lemon Marscapone Fruit Dip in the bottom before filling with fruit. You can also top the fruit with whipped cream, ice cream, or even a drizzle of melted chocolate.
FAQ
“Pizze” is Italian for round and flat, and “elle” means small. They are often called Italian waffle cookies and have been around for hundreds of years. Historians believe they just might be the first cookie ever made! You’ll find piles of them dusted with powdered sugar at special occasions like holidays and weddings, and the classic Italian pizzelle recipes include anise, which adds a subtle licorice flavor.
Want to make enough fruit cups for party prep? These fruit salad cups can be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. The key to making sure they stay crisp is letting them cool completely before storing. They definitely don’t like any kind of humidity, so if you find they’ve lost some of their crispiness, you can heat them in a low oven (~300 degrees) for an hour or so to help them dry out.
Pizzelle irons create the delicate, lace-like artwork and heat the cookie from both sides at the same time. This is hard to replicate with any other cooking method. Pizzelle makers are relatively inexpensive, so I’d suggest purchasing one for this recipe. They’re also not just for making pizzelle. You can make cannoli shells or ice cream cones too (Dairy Free Coconut Ice Cream anyone?). I predict once you try them, you’ll be using the iron more than you thought you would!
Fruit cups aren’t just for children’s lunchboxes anymore. Pizzelle bring the pizzaz! These are holiday party fruit cups. These are dazzling dinner finale fruit cups. I hope you find the perfect time to serve them in your house!
Lemon Pizzelle Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cup flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat your pizzelle iron. Mine took almost 10 minutes, so get this started while you are making the batter.
- Mix flours, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Zest your lemons.
- Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla, and continue to beat. Next is the melted butter. Last up is the flour mixture. flour this in carefully to not over mix.
- Let the batter sit for an hour to hydrate the ingredients.
- If the iron is heated, drop by the tablespoon onto the griddle. Close and let cook. Check it occasionally to see if it is cooked to the desired color.
- It will take about 20 seconds to 1 minute, depending on your iron.
- You can eat these just like they are, or dusted with flour. They are also good with lemon curd, berries, ice cream, whip cream, etc.
Notes
- It only takes a small amount of batter per pizzelle. I find that a small cookie scoop holds the perfect amount and ensures all the cookies are the same size.
- This is the pizzelle maker I use and has worked well.
- As I mentioned earlier, this dish works with many different fruits: berries, kiwi, plums, peaches, bananas, grapes, and more. Just imagine your favorite fruit salad in cups this delicate and crispy! You can also leave out the orange zest and use almond extract instead of vanilla if it complements your fruit better.
- I wanted a shallower cup, so I used a wider glass for draping the pizzelle. Using a narrower glass will create a deeper cup. No need to worry about making sure the pizzelles are perfectly straight on the cups. Just make sure they’re still hot when you start draping them.
- Want to make these fruit cups a little more decadent and rich? You can add the lemon curd, vanilla custard, or something like this Creamy Lemon Marscapone Fruit Dip in the bottom before filling with fruit. You can also top the fruit with whipped cream, ice cream, or even a drizzle of melted chocolate.