Anise Cutouts Food

ANISE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine the flour, aniseed, salt, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Shape into 1-in. balls; place on greased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar., Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on wire racks. If desired, decorate cookies with frosting and sprinkles.

ANISE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy; add eggs and aniseed. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture. Add apple juice and mix well. , On a floured surface, knead until well blended, about 4-5 minutes. Roll dough to 1/2-in. thickness; cut into 2-in. shapes. Place on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 12-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine sugar and cinnamon; roll cookies in the mixture while still warm. Cool on wire racks.

NANA'S ANISE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Thoroughly cream butter,sugar vanilla and anise. Add eggs; beat til light and fluffy
• 2. Stir in milk
• 3. Gradually add dry ingredients(I use my kitchen aid stand mixer) til blended. Divide dough in half and chill several hours
• 4. When ready to bake; On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/4 in thickness. Cut into your favorite shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet spaced 1 in. apart for 9-11 minutes.(depending on how thick or thin you roll them) @ 375 degrees. Cool slightly, remove from pan to rack to decorate. Frost as you wish..............Yields 3-4 dozen depending on thickness and size of cutter
• 5. Frost with your favorite Buttercream frosting Hint: I add anise to my frosting to compliment the flavor in the cookie...Nana always did. Enjoy!

TRADITIONAL ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• With a Kitchenaid mixer: beat eggs 20 minutes with 2 cups of granulated sugar (yes I mean 20 minutes as this is what will make the cookies light as a feather with a crisp melt in you mouth top crust).
• Add flour gradually, beating well after each addition. Add 1 tsp anise oil and blend well.
• Drop by tablespoonsful onto greased cookie sheets and let stand in a draft free place overnight.
• Bake in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes until light golden but do not brown.
• Cool on baking racks thoroughly before storing.
• Store in a tightly covered cookie tin (not plastic).
• The longer you let the cookie age, the better it will be.

ANISE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy; add eggs and aniseed.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture; Add apple juice and mix well.
• On a floured surface, knead until well blended, about 4-5 minutes; Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness; cut into 2-inch shapes.
• Place on greased baking sheets; bake at 375F for 12-16 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Combine sugar and cinnamon; roll cookies in the mixture while still warm; cool on wire racks.

BROWN SUGAR-ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 cups flour, the cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla paste and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping bowl as needed.
• Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Divide dough in two, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and flatten into disks. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Place one piece of dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment, or a silicone baking mat, and flour both sides of the dough and the rolling pin. Roll dough into an oblong oval that is roughly 7-by-10 inches and a generous 1/4-inch thick. Prick all over with a floured fork. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Slide rolled dough on parchment paper onto a baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Lightly beat the egg white with 1 teaspoon water to thin it out. Lightly brush the top of the dough with the egg white, and sprinkle with the anise seeds, pressing gently to adhere. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar, then bake until turning deeply golden at the edges, 15 to 17 minutes.
• Let cool on the baking sheet. After about 5 minutes, use a knife, pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut crosswise into 3/4-inch strips. Alternatively, let cool and serve whole, allowing guests to break into pieces. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

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.