Anisette Recipes

ITALIAN ANISETTE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and white sugar. Make a well in the center and add oil, milk, 1 tablespoon anise extract, and eggs. Mix together until dough is sticky.
• Oil fingers and pinch off dough in 1 inch pieces. Roll into a ball and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, 1 inch apart, flatten top slightly. Bake for 8 minutes. Dip cookies in Icing while warm.
• To Make Icing: Blend in 1 teaspoon anise extract and enough hot water to 1 cup confectioner's sugar to form a smooth icing.

ANISETTE

Steps:

• In a mortar and pestle, or a resealable bag and rolling pin, crush anise pods and fennel and coriander seeds. Toast together in a skillet over medium-high until fragrant, about 1 minute. Divide between 2 quart-size glass jars, then divide vodka evenly between jars. Let cool completely. Screw lids onto jars, shake gently, and let stand in a cool, dark place 5 days.
• Strain vodka mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. In a small pot, boil sugar and 1 1/4 cups water just until sugar dissolves; add to strained vodka. Let cool completely, then refrigerate until cold, 1 hour. Divide among eight 8-ounce gift bottles. Bottles will keep in refrigerator up to 6 months. To serve, pour 1.5 ounces directly over ice, or add 1 part anisette and 3 parts cold water to a glass filled with ice.

HOMEMADE ANISETTE

Steps:

• Place aniseed, fennel seed, and coriander in a bowl.
• Grind all the seeds using the back of a spoon.
• Add the ground seeds to the brandy.
• Allow the mixture to soak for 4 weeks and then strain out the seeds.
• Allow the haze to settle for a week then pour off the sediment.
• Add the simple syrup and shake.
• To Make Simple Syrup: Add 1 part water to 2 parts sugar.
• Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.
• Slowly heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Keep below boiling.
• The syrup is finished once the sugar is dissolved.

ITALIAN ANISETTE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add sugar, salt, baking powder, anisette; beat until smooth.
• In a small bowl, beat together oil and room temperature butter until well combined. Stir into batter.
• Gradually add flour, beating only for a short time after flour has been added. Use more or less flour to make a soft cookie batter dough. (Using less flour will make for a lighter cookie). Dough should be soft, but stiff enough to form a smooth shape.
• Cover; refrigerate dough for several hours.
• Using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons, shape the dough into small balls; press bottom of cookies lightly onto lightly greased cookie sheets, while keeping the rounded tops.
• Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. The cookies should be crisp but do not brown - they should be very light in color.
• Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
• To ice the cookies: In a clean mixing bowl, combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 4 teaspoons milk and 4 teaspoons Karo syrup. Stir until the icing is of a spreadable consistency, adding more milk if required. A few drops of anisette may be added for flavor; a drop or two of food coloring can be stirred in for a pastel-colored icing, if desired.
• Dip cookie tops into icing, then optionally sprinkle with colored cookie decorations.
• Makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

ANISETTE COOKIES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, beat eggs. Blend in vegetable oil, orange juice, vanilla, lemon and anise flavoring.
• Sift the flour with the sugar and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. The dough will probably be sticky. Add additional flour until dough no longer sticks to your hands and can rolled.
• Pull off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut. Roll it into a rope and shape it into a knot. Place finished knots 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Bottoms should slightly brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack. If desired ice with confectioner's sugar icing.