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Anise Cookies

Anise Cookies

A quick and lovely recipe with wonderful anise flavor. This recipe is adapted from my dear friend Michele Mazurowski and has Italian-American roots.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 54 minutes
Servings 60 Cookies
Author we are all magic

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 3 eggs large
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortning
  • 1 2/3 cup sugar 334 grams
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour 750 grams
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup milk whole
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp anise extract

For the icing:

  • 16 ounces confectioners sugar 453 grams
  • 2 tsp anise extract
  • 1/4 cup milk plus more to get to desired consistency

To decorate:

  • various sprinkles more is more!

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C

  2. In a stand mixer, cream vegetable shortening and sugar for 3-5 minutes on medium.

  3. Add eggs, mixing until incorporated between each egg.

  4. Measure out dry ingredients, mix together, then slowly add to the sugar/egg/shortening mixture on low speed.

  5. Add anise extract, oil, and milk and mix until fully incorporated.

  6. Form dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter and place on a lined baking sheet. Dough balls can be placed relatively close together because this cookie does not get much bigger during baking.

  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies begin to crack a bit on top. You don't want the cookies to brown at all.

  8. Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.

  9. For the icing, combine all ingredients and mix well. You want the consistency to be thick. Test out a cookie or two and add more milk if you need to think out the icing.

  10. Dip each cookie into the icing, shake off excess, place on a rack and immediately decorate with sprinkles and then allow them to dry completely until the icing is set.