Description
Every family reunion since I can remember my great Aunt Nin brings anise-flavored Italian cookies that everybody loves. I figured out her exact recipe by trial and error but don’t tell her! Sprinkle with nonpareils or sprinkles when icing is still wet, but hurry, they dry fast!
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon anise extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon anise extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 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.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Servings: 36