Anise Italian Cookies
Soft Italian Anise Cookies with a light licorice flavor, sweet glaze, and colorful sprinkles. Perfect for holidays, parties, or everyday baking.
Servings 24 Cookies
Calories 106kcal
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- cookie sheets or baking sheets
- Cookie scoop
- small bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ teaspoons anise extract
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Frosting:
- 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon anise extract
- Sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and the powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, vanilla and anise extracts and beat. (The batter will look curdled at this point, but will change.)
- Add in the flour, salt and baking powder until a dough forms.
- Use a 1 ½ Tbsp cookie scoop to create equal sized portions. Roll the ball into a long roll, about 6-7” in length. Twist the cookie into a figure 8 shape, connecting the ends.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet about 2” apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until the cookies start to turn golden on the edges. Remove and allow the cookies to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, place the powdered sugar, vanilla and anise extract in a bowl and slowly whisk in the heavy cream until you reach a consistency for the frosting to stick to cookies, but not run off.
- Dip the top of the cookies in the frosting and sprinkle the top with sprinkles of choice. Let the frosting harden for about 10 minutes.
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg