It would be reductive to call them wafers. Unfair to call them waffles. We are talking about the canestrelli of Biella. From a writing found in the Royal Library of Turin, by the hand of historian Mario Rosazza, it appears that as early as 1805 typical cookies were being produced in Biella: canestrelli, a name that may derive from the woven wicker baskets in which the cookies were placed to cool, or from the checkered design of the irons used for baking that these cookies resemble.
The main ingredients of these crispy waffles, which were prepared at home for festive occasions and baked on special square irons, are: wheat and corn flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt and baking powder. The chocolate-based filling may also contain hazelnuts and almonds, some more modern versions also offer coffee creams.
