I have been trying to get this cookie right for three years now. I had almost given up. As an Irish girl, I have ZERO experience with this cookie. I had never had it before and didn't know how it was supposed to taste. The first time I made them (from another recipe) they were ROCK HARD and so dry. Awful. My husband tried them on my first attempt and said "Yep, this is the taste...but they are a little bit...erm...drier than I recall..." I was slightly defeated and ready to give up. However, my step daughter (VERY Italian on her mother's side) dearly loves these cookies. She asks for them every year. This recipe was my saving grace! My ten year old step daughter declared them "EXACTLY LIKE GRANDMA'S!!!" Which is high praise indeed as her grandma is well known for her "sprinkle cookies". I ended up using almond extract instead of Anise. That's how it's done here in New Jersey so I've been told. The cookies came out fluffy and cake like and so delicious. I'm thrilled to have been able to grant my darling step daughter's Christmas wish for these cookies.
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These cookies weren't difficult to bake (and I am NO baker by ANY means)and everyone loved them, except one person who thought they were too cakey.
I did double the amount of anise to 1/4 tsp in the icing and it was fabulous.
As she recommended, I used her exact measurements of milk and sugar for the icing and after each batch came out of the oven I microwaved the whole bowl for ten seconds and then it was nice and thin. I found I had to hold the tray of cookies with my left hand, remove a cookie with my right, dip it into the icing, put the cookie on the rack, and then sprinkle it with the little dots. I think if you dunk them all into the icing, by the time you get around to putting the dots on, the icing would be too hard for the dots to stick.
Also, the recipe did NOT take nearly the 3 "possible" cups of flour. It couldn't even take 2.5. I ended up throwing out about 1/4 of flour because the dough was quite dry and I used all three TBS of milk.
Next time I'll use 2 1/4 cups of flour and probably only 2 tsp of baking powder. Maybe they'll be a little less cakey. Not that cakey is a bad thing. :)
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WOW! This recipe is a big keeper! Thanks a lot for posting it! I prepared the green ones with almond aroma (in the glaze I used powdered sugar, Amaretto and color) and the red ones with anise seeds ground (in the glaze powdered sugar, ouzo and red color).
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This recipe tastes EXACTLY the way my Sicilian neighbor used to make them. Tender, flavorful, and oh-so-pretty. I have Celiac, so I made these gluten-free - I used a combo of brown rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch (all common in gluten-free baking) in place of the all-purpose flour. I also added 1/2 a teaspoon of xanthan gum to the batter recipe. The cookies are divine! No one knows they are gluten-free - they just taste simply PERFECT. Thanks so much!
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1st time trying to make these cookies & what a HUGE success! My daughter has been asking for these for years as my Aunt & Grandmother always made them. Ours came out better then I remember ever having. Doubled the batch but followed it exactly , perfect amount of Anis flavor, cant wait to make these again as a lemon cookie.
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Awesome! I love anise cookies and these are wonderful. Soft and cakey with just the right amount of anise flavor. Am laughing now as I see the directions to leave these out overnight to allow the icing to harden. They didn't make it that long at my house! Even the neighbor kids and my son who swears he hates licorice were picking them off the cooling racks. I got 44 cookies and had exactly the right amount of icing, so next time I may make a little extra just to be safe. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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These are pretty close to my grandma's. If you want the authentic secret, forget about the extract and use real Anisette liqueur. I'm sure you could use Amaretto liqueur if that's your thing, but Anisette is the right call for these cookies and biscotti. The Amaretto is for the Cannolis.
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I usually don't like cookies that are this "cakey" but I really enjoy this recipe. I substituted with almond milk and used powdered anise with almond extract.
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Like other reviewers I was trying to duplicate anise cookies I had made long ago but had lost the recipe. These cookies are actually better than my original recipe. They are easy to make and delicious.
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use cake flour instead of all purpose flour if not they come out too dry and biscoutty...and really no more than 8 mins is necessary
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Sorry, I wasn't loving these. I felt the anise flavor was too weak in the cookies and too strong in the icing. But I am used to anise flavored things that use the seeds as an ingredient, not the extract.
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This recipe is AMAZING! I made them with almond extract the first couple of times because I am not a fan of anise. The cookies looked super pretty and they also tasted yummy. They were so cake like and soft. I also then made them with lemon extract and made to add another 1/4 cup of flour because they were too sticky. I also always sift the flour. GREAT RECIPE
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These took a little effort but were well worth it. However, the recipe yields a TON! Next time I could easily cut the recipe in half. Thanks!
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I have been trying for years to re-create the recipe my Italian grandmother made. This is finally the one! The key is not to over bake. I did two batches over Christmas. The second, I did add more anise to both the cookie batter and the frosting. My family all agreed this is the best and closest to the original Italian Anise cookies we grew up eating. Thanks for the recipe!
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These are fabulous! I made them for my Christmas Tea party and everyone loved them... even people who dont like black licorice. The flavor is delicate but definitely anise.
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This is like being a kid at my Nunny's (grandmother's) all over again!!! She made these every christmas, and the smell of Anise reminds me of her. We made these today, one batch Anise, one, Almond, and we did one lemon. All were great!
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these remind me of my childhood! my grandma always made them at easter and now i have found this recipe and carried on the tradition. i make them at christmas as well, they are wonderful cookies! even for someone who doesnt like licorice flavor (me) the anise goes well with the cookie. you can always sub a different extract for the anise but they just wouldnt be the same. sometimes i use vanilla instead of anise in the icing.
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Love these! They are more cake-like than the usual doughy version, and so light that I would have sworn they were made with beaten egg whites if I hadn't made them myself. I added some anise seed to the dough. Yum. Thanks!
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This is a perfect recipe. Not dry. Full of flavor. One of the people I made them for thought the cookies came from an Italian bakery. THANK YOU.
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