Italian Anise Cookies Recipe 415

ITALIAN ANISE COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Add flour and baking powder to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, add 1 tablespoon of anise extract and anise seeds, and mix until well blended.
• Add the flour mixture a little at a time, and mix until well blended. The dough will be soft and sticky.
• Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 5 to 7 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and the cookie springs back when pressed with your finger.
• Remove the cookies from the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon anise extract in a small bowl until smooth.
• Place the cooling rack of cookies on the cookie sheet to catch drips and the extra sprinkles.
• Grab one cookie, dip the top into the glaze, put it back on the rack, and add the sprinkles right away before the icing begins to harden.
• Repeat with the remaining cookies, and then let the cookies sit until the glaze is hard.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. The recipe makes about 32 cookies.

ITALIAN COOKIES WITH ANISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar for dough together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and anise extract and blend. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; stir into butter mixture until blended.
• Take a ping pong-sized ball of dough and roll between your hands to form a rope. Connect the ends and twist into a figure 8 shape. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix milk into confectioners' sugar for icing, stirring slowly. Add the anise extract and vanilla extract.
• Dip cooled cookies into the icing face-down and lay on wax paper or a wire rack.

ITALIAN ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat eggs together in a large bowl. Gradually stir white sugar into beaten eggs until smooth. Slowly pour vegetable oil and anise oil into sugar mixture until incorporated. Mix flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl; slowly add to sugar mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until dough is dry.
• Refrigerate dough, 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Roll dough into walnut-size balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are crisp around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and milk together in a bowl until desired consistency is reached. Dip a fork into the icing and drizzle over cookies. Allow icing to harden.

ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt butter and shortening together. Add the sugar; mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the anise extract. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture gradually. If the dough is too sticky to roll in the palm of your hand, add flour until firmer, but it should be very soft. Roll dough in small balls (these tend to really puff up with all the baking powder in them!) and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake @ 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes (the bottom should be lightly browned but the tops should remain light). Remove cookies to wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
• Next time I will be more careful with the flour, I think I added a bit too much. The tops of my cookies cracked. I also used my cookie scoop and filled it half way, which seemed to work pretty well.
• Mix milk GRADUALLY into confectioners' sugar to make a thick glaze... make sure to keep it on the thick side. Dip top of each cookie into glaze. Sprinkle with colored jimmies or nonpareils while glaze is still wet. I usually dip 10-12 cookies, return them to the wire rack (with wax paper under the racks to aid in clean up!) and then sprinkle those cookies before starting to dip more.
• I dipped and sprinkled 5 at a time, that seemed to be the magic number before the glaze would start to harden.

ITALIAN GRANDMOTHER ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar and heaping tablespoon of baking powder.
• In another bowl whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and anise extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients. Dough will be sticky, add up to an extra 1/4 cup of flour if needed.
• Shape cookies as desired (lightly oiled hands will help). One way to do it: roll about 2 tablespoons of dough between hands until you have a rope, fold rope in half and twist. You can also just make little dough patties.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (this is good for dark nonstick sheets, you might need to bake a little longer if using airbake sheets).
• Remove from cookie sheets and let cool completely.
• To make icing, melt butter then add milk. Gradually mix in powdered sugar. Add more sugar or milk until at desired spreading consistency.
• Frost cookies. Icing will harden quickly so add non-pareils or other sprinkles immediately after frosting each cookie.