Anise Sugar Cookies

When the holiday season arrives, it’s easy to fall back on tried-and-true family cookie recipes. Everyone has their favorites, whether it’s crinkles, spritz cookies or decorated cutouts. But when it’s time to change things up a bit, anise sugar cookies with their mild licorice taste and aroma in every bite offer a delightful twist on traditional sugar cookies.

You’ll often see anise as an ingredient in Italian Christmas cookies, but it’s an excellent spice to use any time of year. You can decorate these buttery cookies as you would any frosted sugar cookies. Spread with a layer of vanilla buttercream and top with sprinkles, or pipe elegant designs using royal icing. You can also, of course, enjoy these cookies plain without any decorations. Serve them with glasses of eggnog, mugs of hot cocoa or steaming-hot gingerbread lattes.

Ingredients for Anise Sugar Cookies

• Butter: High-quality butter always makes a difference in baking. Use the best butter brand you can find.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar yields sugar cookies with a crisper texture. If you’d like a softer, chewier cookie, try experimenting with replacing a portion of the sugar with brown sugar.
• Eggs: Eggs provide structure, moisture, richness and flavor in sugar cookies.
• Anise extract and aniseed: Anise imparts a mild licorice flavor to the dough. Find the extract near vanilla extract in the baking aisle. Aniseed adds texture and crunch; feel free to adjust the amount to suit your personal preference for this flavor.
• Flour: All-purpose flour adds structure to the cookies.
• Salt: Baked goods benefit from a bit of salt to balance and enhance their flavors.
• Leaveners: Baking soda and baking powder work together to give the cookies lift and rise. Baking powder also promotes spreading to help achieve a thinner, crisper cookie.
• Frosting or sprinkles: These are totally optional but totally fun and festive. Use any of your favorite frosting recipes or colorful sprinkles to deck out your cookies with holiday cheer.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the dough

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Next, beat in the eggs and extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, aniseed, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mixing well until no dry patches remain.

Step 2: Scoop and shape

Scoop and shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange on greased baking sheets. Next, dip the flat bottom of a glass in sugar and then press gently onto each dough ball to flatten the cookies.

Editor’s Tip: For the best results, flatten the dough balls to a thickness of roughly 1/3 to 1/2 inch. They will spread and flatten further as they bake in the oven.

Step 3: Bake

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool on wire racks. If desired, decorate the cookies with frosting and sprinkles.

Anise Sugar Cookie Variations

• Frosted the anise cookies: For added sweetness, make frosted anise sugar cookies with a homemade glaze.
• Add chocolate: Peanut butter cookies are not the only cookies that can benefit from Hershey’s Kisses on top. You could also drizzle melted chocolate over the cookies once they’re cool.
• Include dried fruit: Anise pairs well with a variety of dried fruits. Try adding up to 1 cup of raisins, chopped dried apricots, cranberries or cherries to the dough before shaping it into balls.

How to Store Anise Sugar Cookies

Like other sugar cookie recipes, this anise sugar cookie recipe should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature to preserve freshness. They’ll last up to two weeks but taste best when eaten within one week after baking.

Can you freeze anise sugar cookies?

Yes, to freeze the cookies, cool them to room temperature and then freeze them on a sheet pan until firm. Transfer the frozen cookies to a container, separating layers of cookies with pieces of parchment. Enjoy within three to four months for optimal flavor. Enjoy straight from the freezer or thaw at room temperature before eating.

Can you make anise sugar cookie dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the sugar cookie dough ahead of time. Cookie dough usually lasts for about three months in the freezer. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough.

Anise Sugar Cookie Tips

Why did my cookies spread too much?

Several factors can cause anise sugar cookies to spread too much in the oven. Not measuring your ingredients correctly is one cause. It is also possible that you flattened the cookies too much with the glass before baking. Baking the cookies at the wrong oven temperature can also cause cookies to flatten more than desired. To remedy this, invest in an affordable oven thermometer to ensure your oven is baking at the correct temperature.

Finally, if the temperature of the dough is too warm, it can cause the cookies to flatten excessively. If your kitchen is warm, consider chilling the dough in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to re-solidify the butter in the dough so it does not immediately melt upon hitting the hot oven.

Can you make these as cutout cookies?

Yes! If you’d like to use cookie cutters with this anise sugar cookie recipe, we recommend placing the dough between two layers of parchment and then rolling out the dough to 1/2-inch thickness using a rolling pin. Chill for 30 minutes and then cutout the dough using your favorite festive shapes. Bake as directed. Note that smaller shapes may bake more quickly, while larger shapes may require a longer baking time.