Directions: |
Directions:You will need (2) large bowls.... Preheat oven to 400º
1. Bowl #1...Blend sugar and butter together well. Next, crack 6 eggs into this bowl and add anise. Mix until it's smooth and fluffy. Set bowl aside.
2. Bowl #2...Add 3 cups flour and baking powder, mix well.
3. Slowly pour contents of bowl #2 into bowl #1, mix well. Dough will get thick and sticky. At this point add 1/2 cup flour, continue to mix until dough is stiff and sticky (and just a little wet) with an almost elastic consistency. Now your cookie dough is ready to go.
DON'T EAT THE DOUGH! Wait until it's cooked!
4. Prepare cookie sheets with grease and flour. Drop dough by the teaspoons, the dough will be very sticky, that's OK, it's supposed to be like that. you will have a hard time getting it all off of the spoon.
5. Cook for 10 minutes, +/- a few minutes based on your oven and cookie sheets. You will know they are ready when you press the cookie with your finger and the dough springs right back after pressing and the tops will start to get just a tinge of brown on them. Watch the cookies very close towards the end of baking, you don't want to over cook them. They go from perfect to overcooked in a small amount of time, so pay attention!
6. Take cookies off sheet immediately, place them on cooling rack so the bottoms don't burn.
7. Make Icing. In medium bowl, add confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix well. You can add a few drops of anise extract in icing for more flavor. If icing is too thick, add milk, one drop at a time (A little goes a long way), or if it's too thin add a little confectioners' sugar to get the right consistency. The icing should drip off of a spoon but still be thick enough to not totally drip off the cookies. Experiment to get it just right.
8. Divide icing into small bowls drip a few drops of food coloring into each bowl for desired colors. Mix well. Decorate- Dip the top of each cookie into desired colored icing, place cookie on wax paper on counter and immediately decorate with assorted sprinkles after each cookie so icing doesn't get hard because then the sprinkles won't stick. |
This recipe for Anisette Italian Cookies is from