Italian Anise Cookies

 

 

I love making  these cake-like Italian cookies with Anise during the holidays.  They bring back fond memories of baking in the kitchen with my mother when I was a little girl.  These cookies taste good frosted or plain and what’s even better is dipping them in coffee!  Enjoy!

 

Susan T’s Kitchen

 

Ingredients For The Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
• 1/2 cup of sugar ( I like sugar in the raw)
• 3/4 cup applesauce or 3 large eggs (if you want no eggs in your cookies use 1/4 cup applesauce per egg)
• 2 teaspoons anise extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2-3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk (rice dream, almond dream, soy milk) or you can use regular milk

 Ingredients For The Icing

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons non dairy milk or regular milk
• 1/8 teaspoon anise extract

Directions For Cookies

1. Pre-heat  oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the applesauce 1/4 cup at a time, or the eggs  one at a time, mixing after each and last add the anise extract.
4. In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder.
5. Add 1/3  at a time of the dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture.
6. Mix and then add 1 tablespoon of milk.
7. Add another 1/3  of the dry ingredients and 1 tablespoon of milk – mix.
8. Add the remaining dry mixture and milk , mix until the dough is soft like drop cookie dough.
9. If needed add more flour.
10. Use a cookie scooper to make simple round drop cookies. Or a spoon.
11.  Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, do not allow to brown, so the insides will be soft and cake like.
12. Use a toothpick to check.
13. Remove and allow to cool.

Directions For The Icing   

1. Mix sugar, milk beverage and Anise extract to make a sugar glaze.
2. When cookie is cool enough spread the icing on top.
3. Allow the icing to harden on the cookies and then store in air-tight containers or freeze.
4. Hint…they taste good frozen!

 

I love dipping these cookies in coffee!