In the words of my teen…….
It was a dark winter night. There was rain dripping outside, but it was only a pitter-patter. The night was tranquil, and in my room, I felt sluggish. In this mood, I pondered over the question I was asked time and time again. “What do you want for Christmas? Tell me.”
At first I was so irked by that question. But then, thinking about it, I realized I was being unfair. It was a sweet, endearing question that I had rebuffed every single time. On my bed, about to sleep, I thought about that question. A few weeks ago, he had won a $100 Amazon gift card after winning a cricket championship, and without question was spending it on Christmas presents for the family. Without regret, he kept smiling and asking me what I wanted for Christmas.
I sat up and was really in awe. We admonished him for not keeping a secret and even not to bother us much. It was such a selfless thing for someone to do, and after all, he is only 10 years old. Of course, we will love the gifts, but none of us will ever forget the thought and selflessness of this little boy, our baby bear. I’m so proud of my little brother – we all are – who truly has the spirit of giving, the spirit of the holidays within him.
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar or plain white granulated sugar
- 3-4 drops almond extract(optional)
- ⅓ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp browned butter or melted butter
- Few tbsp of melted butter
- Preheat the pizzelle maker.
- In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites with sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract and salt. Whip for a minute until lightly frothy.
- Add the almond and all purpose flour and the melted butter and mix everything until well combined.
- Brush the pizzelle maker with some butter and pour a tbsp of the batter and cover, cook for 3 minutes.
- Take it out and put it on a cooling rack. It gets crispier very quick, so if you plan to make a cone, make it immediately before pouring the next batch.
- You can store these in an air tight container and stays for long.
You can make these gluten free by substituting the all purpose flour with coconut flour, buckwheat flour or oat flour. You will be compromising a bit on the taste but not a lot.
Here you can even substitute the butter with coconut oil or vegetable oil. Again the butter is a great flavor inducer.
You can add coconut flakes, chocolate chips, powdered spices, grated orangerind and lemon for the extra flavoring.
Once cool, pack in airtight containers and they stay good for a while.
TIPS TO MAKE A PERFECT PIZZELLE:
Make sure to brush some melted butter on both sides of the griddle before pouring the batter.
Do not pour a lot or a little. A tablespoon is good.
Let the pizzelle heat up and turn to green light before you add another batch of batter. That way it will cook well.
After it cooks, always put it on a cooling rack so that it crisps up.
Happy Holidays and a Very Merry Christmas from our family to yours.
How is your Prep coming along? Big plans for New Years Eve? Wow it’s almost 2016!!
I am overcome with gratitude and filled with happiness for the support you have shown me over the years. I’ve always loved hearing from you and learning about you. I’m always excited to share a small piece of our lives. Thank you all for reading, and your never-ending kindness and responses.
Thank you. Love and Hugs.
Asha
