Italian Anise Cookies
Post date
Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 16:48
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe, November 29, 2009
Serves/Makes/Yields
Makes 28
Recipe Description
These tender, cake-like cookies, coiled into snails, have a subtle anise flavor. The recipe, from Andy and Jackie King of A&J King Artisan Bakers in Salem, goes back over six generations in Jackie's family to a small town in southern Italy. For a festive look, add sprinkles before the icing sets.
Ingredients
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon anise flavoring
¼ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon baking powder
2¼ to 2½ cups flour
Icing
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 to 4 teaspoons water
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and oil at medium-high speed until foamy.
- Continuing with mixer at medium-high speed, beat in the granulated sugar, then add the vanilla, anise, and orange juice, and mix well.
- Beat in the baking powder.
- 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.
- Mix until the dough comes together in a ball.
- If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour.
- Pinch off 1½-tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and roll into ¹/³-inch-thick ropes about 7 inches long.
- 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.
- Place cookies about 2 inches apart.
- 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.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
For the icing:
- 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.
- When the cookies are completely cool, lightly spread the icing on the tops with a small spatula.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Type of Meal