For Printable Recipe Card, Please Scroll to the Bottom.
These amazingly scented Anisette Cookies are mouthwatering good. Soft, sweet, and infused with a wonderful anise aroma, these classic Italian anise cookies melt in every bite. You can skip the sprinkles if serving adults, but they make them so cute you might want to keep them! They’re another to-die-for Italian culinary export.
What Are Anisette Cookies?
Anisette cookies, sometimes called Italian anise cookies, are soft, cake like biscuits flavored with anise extract (the same sweet-licorice note found in biscotti and sambuca). After a quick bake, the cookies are dipped in a simple milk and powdered sugar glaze and sprinkled with nonpareils, giving them a glossy white coat and festive pop of color. Traditionally baked for Christmas and weddings in southern Italy, they’re beloved for their tender crumb, subtle licorice aroma, and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft and airy: A higher ratio of eggs and butter keeps the crumb light, so each bite practically dissolves on the tongue.
Make-ahead friendly: The unbaked dough balls freeze beautifully, and the finished cookies stay fresh (and even softer) for days under their glaze.
Customizable flavor: Swap anise for almond, lemon, or vanilla extract if you or your guests aren’t fans of licorice notes.
Ingredients for Anisette Cookies
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Anise extract
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Anisette Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat the melted butter and sugar together until creamy and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the anise extract and the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Add the flour to the creamed mixture a little at a time, beating after each addition. The dough should be soft, but you should be able to roll it into a ball with your hands. If you feel it needs a little more flour, add it a tablespoon at a time.
- Roll the dough into ½ tbsp-sized balls and place in an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should be slightly brown at the bottom, but still light at the top. Let them cool down for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Once cooled, make the glaze: combine the powdered sugar with the milk and vanilla extract. Dip each cookie into the glaze. Add the sprinkles on top before the glaze hardens. You might want to do a few cookies at a time!
How to Store Anisette Cookies
These cookies will keep fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. If you plan to keep them longer, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to a week.
What if I Don’t Like Anise?
No worries! You can use your favorite extract. They won’t be anisette anymore, but they will still be delicious! You might want to try them with almond, vanilla, or lemon extract. You can also combine half vanilla, half almond.
DON’T LOSE THE DELICIOUS RECIPE! GO FOLLOW US OVER ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND PINTEREST FOR MORE RECIPES!
FOR MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES, CHECK OUT:
Anisette Cookies
These amazingly scented Anisette Cookies are mouthwatering good. Soft, sweet, and infused with a wonderful anise aroma, these classic Italian anise cookies melt in every bite.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp anise extract (or your favorite extract)
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp anise extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat the melted butter and sugar together until creamy and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the anise extract and the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Add the flour to the creamed mixture a little at a time, beating after each addition. The dough should be soft, but you should be able to roll it into a ball with your hands. If you feel it needs a little more flour, add it a tablespoon at a time.
- Roll the dough into ½ tbsp-sized balls and place in an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should be slightly brown at the bottom, but still light at the top. Let them cool down for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Once cooled, make the glaze: combine the powdered sugar with the milk and vanilla extract. Dip each cookie into the glaze. Add the sprinkles on top before the glaze hardens. You might want to do a few cookies at a time!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 985mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 0.6ggSugar: 33gProtein: 4g
Sos Recipes is not staffed by nutritionists or dietitians, and any provided nutritional information is an approximation. If calorie count and nutritional value are crucial to you, we suggest inputting the ingredients into your preferred online nutritional calculator. The actual calorie and nutritional content may differ based on the brands used.