Italian Anise Cookies

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and oil at medium-high speed until foamy.
3. Continuing with mixer at medium-high speed, beat in the granulated sugar, then add the vanilla, anise, and orange juice, and mix well.
4. Beat in the baking powder.
5. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and when the dough becomes difficult to mix, switch to a dough hook or stir with a firm rubber spatula.
6. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball.
7. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour.
8. Pinch off 1½-tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and roll into ¹/³-inch-thick ropes about 7 inches long.
9. On an ungreased cookie sheet, form each rope into a snail shape, starting at the center of the spiral, and gently press in the end of the rope to seal.
10. Place cookies about 2 inches apart.
11. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are puffed but still pale. They shouldn’t brown on top, but should be golden on the bottom.
12. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

1. In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar with lemon juice and water until the icing is smooth, shiny, and thin enough to be easily spread.
2. When the cookies are completely cool, lightly spread the icing on the tops with a small spatula.
3. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.