These classic Italian anise cookies are tender, easy, and covered in a glaze with sprinkles. Enjoy these cookies as part of a holiday cookie tray or year-round!
So much of what I love about the holiday season is tied to food (because, obviously), and family favorite recipes dominate my holiday menu each year. Can you relate to that? I try out a few new cookies or side dishes or whatnot each year, but by and large it wouldn’t be Christmas, let’s say, without baked clam dip and struffoli and Panettone french toast.
I already have my clams, honey, and Panettone ready to go. 🙂
Besides struffoli, one of the Italian recipes my mom has made every year since before I can even remember are Italian anise cookies. These tender, licorice-flavored cookies are topped with glaze and festive sprinkles to add a special touch to any holiday cookie tray. I know the licorice flavor can be polarizing like cilantro, but for those who don’t mind or like it – these Italian anise cookies will be just your speed.
In our family recipe we always use anise, though I know others use vanilla, almond, or citrus extracts in place of it. The quantities of anise extract as written in the recipe card below (in my opinion) are just enough – you can certainly taste it, but it’s not in-your-face and overpowering.
When it comes to the flour, you’ll notice I mention to start with three cups. Once all of the cookie ingredients are mixed together, poke the dough and see how it is. Likely it’ll be pretty sticky, so work in additional flour one tablespoon at a time until the stickiness has reduced. You’ll want the dough to be able to roll between your hands with very minimal sticking. I added an extra 1/4-cup during this process, but you may need more or less depending on how your dough is behaving.
Oh! And something else about the flour. My procedure for measuring flour is to first stir/whisk the flour in its canister to fluff it up. Then I spoon it into my measuring cup, taking care not to pack it down. Once the measuring cup is overflowing, I use the straight edge of my spoon to level off the measuring cup. I’ll do that step over top of the flour canister so the excess goes right back in. This way of measuring prevents extra flour from being added to the recipe, which can cause baked goods to be dry. It’s the way I measure flour for all my recipes.
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: These Italian anise cookies can be made several days ahead of time. If doing so, I suggest baking the cookies and then NOT glazing them until the day you would like to serve them. Reason being is that the next day and the days beyond, the colors of the rainbow nonpareils bleed onto the white glaze and don’t look quite as picture perfect as they day they were glazed and decorated. Of course if you don’t really care about that feel free to glaze ’em up right away, or you can omit the sprinkles or use white nonpareils instead.
Italian Anise Cookies
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk (I used 2%, use your preferred)
- 2 tsp anise extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, potentially up to 3 1/4 cups [see instructions]
- 1 tbsp baking powder
For the glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tbsp milk or water
- 1/4 tsp anise extract
- Nonpareils for decoration
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl for a few minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs and beat well using a hand or stand mixer, until the mixture is light and looks frothy.
- Add milk, anise extract, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add 3 cups of flour (measured using the spoon-and-level method) and baking powder to a separate bowl and whisk until evenly combined.
- In 2-3 increments, add flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients, mixing in until just combined.
- The dough will be very sticky. *If needed* add in additional flour one tablespoon at a time, until you can roll a cookie's worth of dough between your palms without too much sticking. Wetting your palms may help reduce the sticking as you form a ball. You may need up to an additional 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) during this time, but likely less. The amount of flour you need may vary.
- Using a 1 1/2-tbsp cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough and roll between your palms to form spheres. Some of the dough will stick inside the scoop but that's okay. Place dough balls equally-spaced on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between one another.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly brown on the bottom. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
For the glaze:
- Once cookies have cooled completely, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tbsp milk (or water), and 1/4 tsp anise extract. Dip the tops of each anise cookie into the glaze, and then sprinkle nonpareils over top. Let glaze harden completely before storing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Constance Leonard says
I have made these twice in the last several weeks and they are delicious. They look so fancy but are easy to make!
I know it might not be traditional, but has anyone made these with different extracts like almond, lemon, or orange?
Finally I am at high altitude in Colorado ans the measurements are perfect!
Will make these often! Thanks for the fabulous recipe.
Alyssa says
Hi Constance, you’re so welcome! I’m so glad you like these cookies. 🙂 And thank you for letting me know how they went at high altitude. I think any of the extracts you mentioned would be great in this kind of cookie, either totally replacing the anise or decreasing the anise and adding one of the ones you mentioned. I combine lemon (juice/zest) and almond when I make ricotta cookies and lemon/anise in Italian Easter bread and love how the flavors combine. Both of those recipes are on here if you want to see the ratios.
Kelli castro says
Why water in the icing?
Isn’t milk better?
I think it’s the warm milk that always kept my Grammies icing to look thick, instead of getting to thin, and cracking.
I’m not sure though.
And also, I have a super strong extract,
I never know whether or not to anisette the frosting too?
This was a cookie I did not like to eat when small, just watch them get made, and dry,by the dozens!
I feel like extract in the icing is TOO much…
Help.
Alyssa says
Hi Kelli, you can absolutely use milk! I use milk in other cookie glazes — I will make a note in the recipe card that either is fine. Thanks for the reminder. I’ve used a few different brands of anise extract and enjoy them in both the cookie and the icing. It really does smell pungent in the container though! I would definitely put them in the cookies, but perhaps you can make the icing without the anise extract, ice a few, then taste them to see if you’d like to add the anise before icing the rest? That or you can substitute in vanilla extract. Just be sure for this recipe that you’re using anise extract. Anise oil is another flavoring out there but has a more concentrated flavor and would require less to be used. I hope that’s helpful!
Cathy says
Can I make dough and chill to cook later?
Alyssa says
That should be fine, Cathy. If it’s too hard to scoop right when it comes out of the fridge you can let it sit at room temperature for a short bit of time to make it easier.
Mary Lou Cornwall says
This is my second Easter making these absolutely delicious cookies. My dough turned out perfect, no stickiness. I used my small cookie scoop & got 4 and a half dozen. I dusted your icing with gold sand pebbles & slipped them in gold foil holders – they look beautiful. Is it better to store them in Tupperware or a tin?
Alyssa says
I’m so happy you like these cookies, Mary Lou! Your decorations sound beautiful. I always store them in a Tupperware-type container, but a tin could work – maybe with the cookies sealed in a plastic bag within the tin to keep them the freshest?