The Best Recipe for Italian Anise Cookies (2024)

Italian Anise Cookies

Italian Anisette

Anise Cookies

The most delicious, authentic Italian Anise Cookies recipe you will find. These cookies are perfect any time of the year! I know they are traditional served around the holidays but we make them all the time!

For the cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp anise extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

For the icing-

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp milk

3-4 tbsp nonpareils sprinkles

Instructions

Begin by creaming together butter and sugar.

Slowly add eggs and anise. Mix until fully combined.

Next, add flour and baking powder and mix until a cookie dough forms.

Wrap cookie dough in plastic and chill for one hour.

Once time is up, remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll cookie dough into spheres, about 1-inch in diameter. Space cookies at least 2 inches apart from each other (you may have to bake in batches).

Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned.

Allow for the cookies to cool down.

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk.

Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the powdered sugar and milk mixture. Sprinkle with nonpareils sprinkles.

Serve and enjoy!

How to Bake in Batches to Make the Most of Your Baking Time

One way to handle your holiday baking is to bake in batches, then freeze and store for the big day. You can do this successfully over a couple of weeks with batch baking and batch preparing.

The biggest thing to remember is to only try a few different types of things in one day, or focus on just one type of baked good in one day. For example, you might want to bake all your quick breads in one day. Another day you can prepare all your cookie dough. Yet another time, you can bake all your fruit pies and so forth. This process makes the most of the time you have, the space you have, and your skill level.

Be Prepared

Don’t try batch baking without a plan of action. Be sure to write down your plans in advance so that you are sure you have enough time to do everything that you’ve planned. To figure out a basic time line, add up the prep time, the baking time for each oven full, and then multiply that by 1.5 to account for a little extra issues happening. Then you should be sure that you have enough time.

Get Everything Ready to Go

Your kitchen should be spotless when you start, and ensure that you have all the ingredients and appliances necessary to make each item ready to go. If you know, for example, that today you’ll be using about 10 pounds of flour, consider using a large bowl to hold the flour so you can easily spoon the flour into the measuring cup, flatten off over the bowl, without having to get into the bag over and over which usually means spillage.

Clean as You Go

Fill your sink immediately with hot soapy water so you can clean as you go. You will want to wash your mixing dishes and other utensils during the baking process so that you can use them again. There’s no point in totally destroying your kitchen as you batch bake, and you don’t have to. Set out a draining board, fill the sink with hot soapy water, and wash as you go. There are many opportunities during baking to wash a couple of dishes, and this will make the clean-up faster, and the process more organized.

All Day Batch Baking

You can set aside a day for batch baking such as a Saturday. Plan for all day baking, which usually entails 8 to 10 hours of work. Ensure that any other chores are done, including the shopping, and the kitchen is clean and ready prior to baking day. It’s important to organize your recipes with some logic behind them. For example, if you need dough to rise, start that first, so that it can be rising as you are preparing other things such as cookie dough or pie crusts. Both can be put in the refrigerator or freezer after preparation while you bake the bread, then baked after you bake the bread while the oven is still hot and ready.

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The Best Recipe for Italian Anise Cookies (2024)

FAQs

Are anise cookies good for you? ›

Healthy Anise Cookie

A great company for a cup of thee or coffee. Anise is good for digestion and by using olive oil instead of butter there are no saturated fats. The sesame seeds and whole wheat flour both contribute their own part and even though I did use cane sugar in here, you can try it with honey as well.

Which of the following is a very popular cookie from Italy? ›

One of the easiest and most popular Italian cookies is the classic Pizzelle. Pizzelle are thin, wafer-like cookies with a delicate flavor, often flavored with vanilla or anise.

Where did anise cookies come from? ›

As the name connotes, these delicious anise-flavored cookies originated in Italy where they are considered seasonal treats, especially at Christmas celebrations or other festivities. They are round-ish tender cookies covered in glaze and colorful sprinkles.

What is the difference between anise and anisette? ›

Anise is always the main ingredient, and the liqueur also must meet minimum sugar (350 g/L), alcohol (38% abv) and anethole (anise aroma) content requirements. By comparison, anisette (sometimes seen as anisetta), is also an anise distillate, but it can be made with other ingredients in addition to anise.

What kind of alcohol is anisette? ›

Anisette, or Anis, is an anise-flavored liqueur that is consumed in most Mediterranean countries. It is colorless and, because it contains sugar, is sweeter than dry anise flavoured spirits (e.g. absinthe).

Who should not eat star anise? ›

Children: It is possibly unsafe for star anise to be taken by mouth in children. Serious side effects, including vomiting and seizures, have been reported in infants and adults given star anise tea. Star anise teas may be contaminated with Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), which is poisonous.

Who should not take anise? ›

Hormone-sensitive conditions: Anise might act like estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don't use anise. This includes breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, and others. Surgery: Anise might lower blood sugar levels.

Who should not use star anise? ›

anisatum. 4 Given the difficulty of distinguishing between these species, star anise should not be administered to children. In all infants with acute neurological or digestive symptoms with no known cause, we should inquire about the use of star anise in tea or as gripe water.

What is the number one cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the best selling cookie in Italy? ›

What Is the Most Popular Cookie in Italy?
  1. Amaretti. These small, crunchy almond cookies are a staple in Italian bakeries and are often served with coffee or dessert wine. ...
  2. Biscotti. Biscotti are twice-baked cookies that originated in Tuscany. ...
  3. Pizzelle. ...
  4. Cannoli. ...
  5. Torrone. ...
  6. Alexmar983 · CC BY-SA 3.0. ...
  7. Ricciarelli. ...
  8. Frollini.

Which Italian cookie literally means twice-baked? ›

The word biscotto, used in modern Italian to refer to a biscuit (or cookie) of any kind, originates from the Medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning 'twice-cooked'.

Why are my anise cookies flat? ›

Using too much baking soda.

Try using baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking soda encourages spreading while baking powder puffs the cookies up. If your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, you would use 3 to 4 teaspoons of baking powder.

Why is anise so good? ›

Eating foods rich in iron, like anise seed, can keep your blood healthy and reduce your risk of iron deficiency anemia. Several studies have shown that anise seed can reduce the symptoms of clinical depression. In mice, anise relieved symptoms of depression as effectively as two commonly used antidepressants.

Why is star anise so expensive? ›

Why is star anise so expensive? Like many spices that are considered to be high-end or "pricy", the price tag on star anise is owed to the production and harvesting processes. Star anise is hand-harvested and is limited as to where it can be grown. It is also a beloved spice around the globe and is in demand.

What is in anisette? ›

"Anisette is a clear, sweet liqueur made with anise seeds which give it a strong licorice flavor. This recipe is dedicated to my friend Mom2Rose, in honor of National Anisette Day on July 2. Cooking time includes 4 weeks of soaking and 1 week of settling."

Does anisette have alcohol in it? ›

Anisette. It's easy to confuse anisette with, say, pastis or other anise-centered spirits, but it is indeed its own type of liqueur. In contrast to pastis, which can range from 40% to 45% ABV, anisette has a lighter touch, clocking in at a mild 25% ABV.

Is anisette a licorice? ›

Anisette and licorice. It's commonly believed that they're the same, but they're actually quite different. Each of these delightful flavors are harvested from their own plant and have their own unique flavor profiles.

What is anise candy made of? ›

Each candy is made in a dragee process starting with a single anise seed: Over a period of 15 days it is covered with successive coats of flavored sugar syrup. The finished candy is always called "Anis" by its makers, even when the flavor is one of violet, rose, mint, jasmine, liquorice, or orange instead of anise.

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