Grandma's Waffle Cookies (Pizzelles)

I could always count on finding these authentic Italian cookies in Grandma's freezer, and her house always smelled yummy! They're great dipped in milk. Grandpa was a blacksmith and actually made their waffle iron, which I still have, although I use my modern electric pizzelle maker when making these.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 2 ½ cups white sugar
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil
• 0.5 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon anise oil, or more to taste
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Steps

1. Combine eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, butter, and anise oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until creamy and well combined. Mix in 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Slowly add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing on low speed until mixture resembles a thick pancake batter.
2. Preheat a pizzelle cooking iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Drop a teaspoon of dough onto each plate of the cooking iron and close the lid. Cook just until steaming slows, 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat with remaining batches of batter.