A thin traditional vanilla or anise flavored Italian cookie made with a pizzelle iron.

Basic Wafers - Pizzelles

1 cup butter or margarine

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

6 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla or anise extract

Melted butter for brushing on pizzelle irons

1. Melt the butter and set aide to cool to room temperature.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder together, set aside.
3. Beat the eggs, adding the sugar gradually, beating until smooth. Add the cooled butter and extract. Blend the flour mixture into egg mixture until smooth. Dough will be sticky enough to be dropped by spoon.
4. Heat a pizzelle or other wafer iron for two or three minutes; if it's the
   kind that you sit on a stove burner, heat each side for two minutes.
5. Brush a little melted butter on the inside of the irons, and spoon an appropriate amount of batter into the irons. You'll need to experiment to get the exact amount and placement right. (Roughly, a 5-inch pizzelle iron uses about a heaping teaspoon of batter.)
6. Bake until golden, and be aware that the wafers will continue to brown a bit after they come out of the irons.
7. Cool on a wire racks until crispy or roll into tubes or cones while hot and flexible.

Makes about 60 pizzelles, depending on the size of the iron.

Tip: They make excellent ice cream sandwiches.