These classic Anisette Cookies are light, tender, and full of old-world charm. Flavored with fragrant anise extract and topped with a simple glaze, they’re a staple on Italian-American Christmas cookie trays. The texture is soft and slightly cakey, and that subtle licorice note makes them stand out from the rest. Perfect for gifting, dunking, or adding tradition to your holiday baking spread.
Ingredients
- For the cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 3 large eggs
- For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
milk
colored sprinkles or non-pareils
Directions
- To make the cookies, pre-heat oven to 350 F. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in extracts, then stir in dry ingredients. Add one egg at a time until dough can be formed into a ball (you will need 1 to 3 eggs depending on the humidity in your kitchen and how large the eggs are). Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool 2 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- For the glaze, in a small saucepan slowly stir a small amount of milk into the powdered sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies. Stir over low heat then spread over cooled cookies. Quickly top with sprinkles.
Notes
- Photo by Lori L. Stalteri under Creative Commons license.
