While Belgium is recognized as the world’s hotspot for waffles, Italy and Norway are known for their own waffle-like treats: Italian pizzelles and Norwegian krumkake. Both are cookie-waffle hybrids that are trademark desserts in their countries of origin, but they do have big differences in ingredients, flavor, and preparation.

Typically served around the holidays, pizzelles are made of eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, flour, butter, and baking powder, and may also include anise, butter rum, or lemon. Plain pizelles, cooked on a special pizelle iron, have a relatively neutral yet delicious taste that combines well with their delicate, almost lace-like texture.

"Krumkake" and its plural form "krumkaker" derive from the Norwegian term for "curved cake," after their cone-like shape. Like pizzelles, krumkaker are made using a special iron, but are rolled into cones once flattened and cooked, which means you can stuff them with your choice of fillings like whipped cream or ice cream.

Krumkake batter is thinner than pizzelle batter, which is what allows it to roll so easily, and while krumkake is more versatile when it comes to flavors and fillings, pizelles are more likely to be flavored by directly adding ingredients to the batter. Both cookies distinguish themselves amongst all the European waffle variations.