Best Italian Anise Cookies With Icing And Sprinkles Recipes

ITALIAN ANISE COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Add flour and baking powder to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, add 1 tablespoon of anise extract and anise seeds, and mix until well blended.
• Add the flour mixture a little at a time, and mix until well blended. The dough will be soft and sticky.
• Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 5 to 7 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and the cookie springs back when pressed with your finger.
• Remove the cookies from the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon anise extract in a small bowl until smooth.
• Place the cooling rack of cookies on the cookie sheet to catch drips and the extra sprinkles.
• Grab one cookie, dip the top into the glaze, put it back on the rack, and add the sprinkles right away before the icing begins to harden.
• Repeat with the remaining cookies, and then let the cookies sit until the glaze is hard.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. The recipe makes about 32 cookies.

ITALIAN COOKIES WITH ANISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar for dough together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and anise extract and blend. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; stir into butter mixture until blended.
• Take a ping pong-sized ball of dough and roll between your hands to form a rope. Connect the ends and twist into a figure 8 shape. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix milk into confectioners' sugar for icing, stirring slowly. Add the anise extract and vanilla extract.
• Dip cooled cookies into the icing face-down and lay on wax paper or a wire rack.

ITALIAN ANISE COOKIES WITH ICING AND SPRINKLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• Bake cookies 10-12 minutes (they won't be brown but the insides will be soft and cake-like).
• 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).
• 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.
• Allow icing to harden overnight; then store in air-tight containers or freeze.

ITALIAN COOKIES WITH SPRINKLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Stir in anise extract and lemon extract. Blend in eggs. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl; blend into egg mixture until dough is almost crumbly but stays together when you roll it in your hands.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are set and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cool on the baking sheet briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar and milk in a bowl. Glaze cooled cookies and top with sprinkles.

ITALIAN GRANDMOTHER ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar and heaping tablespoon of baking powder.
• In another bowl whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and anise extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients. Dough will be sticky, add up to an extra 1/4 cup of flour if needed.
• Shape cookies as desired (lightly oiled hands will help). One way to do it: roll about 2 tablespoons of dough between hands until you have a rope, fold rope in half and twist. You can also just make little dough patties.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (this is good for dark nonstick sheets, you might need to bake a little longer if using airbake sheets).
• Remove from cookie sheets and let cool completely.
• To make icing, melt butter then add milk. Gradually mix in powdered sugar. Add more sugar or milk until at desired spreading consistency.
• Frost cookies. Icing will harden quickly so add non-pareils or other sprinkles immediately after frosting each cookie.

ITALIAN SPRINKLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Using a heavy-duty mixer, beat eggs on high speed until light and foamy, about 5 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and baking powder; on low speed, gradually beat in shortening and extracts until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Gradually add beaten eggs (dough will be stiff). , Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes (tops of the cookies will not brown, but bottoms should brown slightly). , Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and extracts until smooth. As soon as cookies are removed from the oven, quickly dip 2 or 3 at a time into glaze. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs; place on wire racks to drain. Immediately top with sprinkles. Let dry for 24 hours before storing in airtight containers.