italian dessert recipes

Anisette Cookies

"A traditional and EASY Italian cookie recipe."



anisette cookies

Anisette cookies are another one of those traditional Italian cookie recipes. This cookie gets it's flavoring from the anise extract. It's not an over powering gross anise though. (Had too many of those as a kid!)

We use anise often in our Italian dessert recipes. And unfortunately industrial bakeries try to make our desserts and they turn out like crap.

This is NOT one of those bakery pretender wanna-be cookies. This cookie is wonderfully fresh. You will find the lemon compliments the anise! A great surprise! Try NOT to be scared and give this a shot.

It's a one bowl easy to make cookie. And, if you're sketchy on trying this, halve the recipe. If you hate it, then throw it away and chalk one up for stretching your taste bud boundaries.

If you like anise flavored desserts you may want to peek at:

Anise Biscotti Recipe

Sesame Seed Cookies



Anisette Cookies

YIELD: 3 dozen cookies!!!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup butter, softened

* 3/4 cups sugar

* 1 teaspoon anise extract

* 1 teaspoon lemon extract (see substitutions below)

* 3 cups flour

* 3 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 egg

Glaze Ingredients:

* 1 cup powdered sugar

* milk

* colored sprinkles

Procedure

 * Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

* Beat together butter and sugar until creamy.

* Stir in anise and lemon

* Add dry ingredients - blend together.

* Add eggs. Blend.

* Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

* Bake for 15 minutes.

* Cool and glaze.








Can I use something else for the anise?

Uh - NOOOO! No Way. That's what these are - anisette cookies!


What is anise anyway?

It's a spice that comes from a feathery tall plant. The most common flavor to compare would be black licorice.


Out of lemon extract?

I actually use fresh squeezed lemon juice. (Not the gross bottle stuff! FRESH) I used 1 tablespoon.




Thank you for stopping by my Italian dessert recipes website. It's my passion. I have a heck of a lot of fun with it. Too I do get paid a little bit of money from my website. And that is a nice bonus!

Back to the top of the anisette cookies







lisa gianotti I love sugar and I eat dessert EVERYDAY! Ok, not MASSIVE amounts. But I do have to finish off the evening meal with a little sweet something.

When I was a kid my health conscience mother would ration my Halloween candy. Her mantra was, "white sugar will kill you". But my Italian grandma always told me, "Everybody needs a little bit of sugar." :-) So, to get my October Halloween sugar fix I will make the traditional Italian cookie recipe, Venetian Bones of the Dead. Italians make these for the Day of the Dead on November 2nd. So - hey, our holiday in America - Halloween is the closest.

So - while the neighborhood is slamming down a bunch of gross mass produced candy on October 31st, I'll have a real goodie. Oh yeah, I'll have to post it too! (Eventually!) You know how it is. Work. Kids. Clean. Cook.



I'll see if Bones Of The Dead is in my grandma's first recipe file she started when she married in 1932. Most of the recipes on my site came from her influence. If they aren't in her file - then I got them from her friends. And the remainder I experimented with adapting her style.

I hope she looks down and smiles this Halloween.

Lisa


Would you like to share this page? You know how to do it! Thanks for sharing the sugar love!



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Recipes on this site are from family cookbooks, family traditions, or intentional adaptations from traditional recipes to add an Italian flair. If a recipe was adapted or used from another cook - it is mentioned on the recipe page and the recipe author is given credit.