1 of 8 photos
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Serving Size 1 (21g) Recipe makes 48 servings |
||
| Calories 74 | ||
| Calories from Fat 21 | (28%) | |
| Amount Per Serving | %DV | |
| Total Fat 2.4g | 3% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.4g | 6% | |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0.6g | ||
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g | ||
| Trans Fat 0.0g | ||
| Cholesterol 18mg | 6% | |
| Sodium 41mg | 1% | |
| Potassium 14mg | 0% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 12.2g | 4% | |
| Dietary Fiber 0.2g | 0% | |
| Sugars 7.0g | ||
| Protein 1.1g | 2% | |
Italian Anise Cookies With Icing and Sprinkles
By: Cookin'Diva
Mar 1, 2007
These are delicate cake-like cookies, glazed with icing and topped with colorful candy sprinkles. They are a wonderful treat at Easter because they look so much like easter eggs, but they are frequently served at Italian celebrations, holidays and weddings.
SERVES 48
Ingredients
COOKIE
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons anise extract (or almond extract)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need up to 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
ICING
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/8 teaspoon anise extract
- food coloring
- decorative candy sprinkles
Directions
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.2
For cookies, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add anise extract.3
Blend flour and baking powder. Start by adding about 1/3 of these dry ingredients to the butter/sugar in your mixer, then add 1 T. milk. Add another third of the flour and another 1 T. milk. Finally, mix in enough of the remaining flour until your dough is like a brownie batter (it should be softer than a drop cookie dough).4
Use a 1 T. cookie scooper to make simple round drop cookies - use wet fingers to pat any rough edges OR for an Easter-Egg look, roll 1 T. dough into an elongated ball.5
Bake cookies 10-12 minutes (they won't be brown but the insides will be soft and cake-like).6
For icing: mix sugar, milk and extract to make a sugar glaze. HINT: When I make the icing, I make it thick but then I microwave it for 10 seconds so it is thin enough for dipping. Also, I like to divide the mixture in thirds, and then add ONE DROP of food coloring to each batch (pink, green, yellow).7
Hold cookie in your hand and turn upside down so you can dip the top half in the glaze; turn over and immediately top with sprinkles so they will stick.8
Allow icing to harden overnight; then store in air-tight containers or freeze.
Questions about this recipe?
Spot an error in this recipe?
is this recipe not exactly what you are looking for?
Try other Italian Anise Cookies With Icing and Sprinkles recipes
Browse similar recipes by category
- Course > Desserts > Cookies & Brownies > Drop
- Course > Desserts > Cookies & Brownies > Hand-formed
- Cuisine > European > Southern (Mediterranean) > Italian
- Preparation > Time to Make > < 4 hours
- Preparation > Number of Servings > For Large Groups
- Occasion > Holiday/Event > Historical/Traditional
- Occasion > Holiday/Event > Wedding
Featured Reviews for This Recipe
From: averybird
On Jul 13, 2008
One of the prettiest cookies on my holiday tray. I was new to anise and found it's flavor interesting, however next time I will probably try these with the almond extract or maybe lemon extract. The cake-like texture of the cookie was really nice. Thank you!
From: leslierosek
On Apr 5, 2008
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.
From: justcallmetoni
On Mar 18, 2007
These are truly exceptional cookies and well worth the effort to follow the directions as presented. The cookie itself is light and pillowy with a soft cake inside and delicate exterior (neither crispy nor chewy). The anise is present enough to please those of us who are devotees but gentle enough not to discourage others from enjoying. Based on the results, I am thinking of adding these to my Christmas trays using white icing and an assortment of themed sprinkles. I made my dough today and bake three cookies as testers. The rest of the dough is frozen for baking closer to Easter. Will report back on that experiment. Thanks Cookin'Diva.
From: lilbitandme
On Feb 28, 2008
I have been making these cookies for 20 yrs....from my brother in law who is Italian. He gave me the recipe as a Christmas recipe. He shapes them into what he calls "bowties"....I call them the Christian "FISH", because to me that is what it looks like and its perfect for Christmas! He has always made these around the end of Nov. DOZENS AND DOZENS of them....he and my Hubbys sister take a WEEK off every year JUST to make cookies!!! They make, then freeze them. I don't think they are chewy, but I LOVE black licorice (Anise)!!! I don't DARE tell him I saw this recipe on the internet....he has made me swear I wouldnt EVER give the recipe out....was his great G-Moms!!! 
Sister Sites: Food Network | HGTV | HGTVPro | DIY | Fine Living | Great American Country | FrontDoor.com Real Estate | Ecologue
Comparison Shop for Kitchen Appliances & Utensils at Shopzilla & BizRate
UpMyStreet and uSwitch.com provide UK comparison services for Energy, Home Phone, Broadband, Credit Cards, Loans, Mobile Phones and Car Insurance
© 2008 Scripps Networks, Inc. All rights reserved