Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (2024)

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Last Updated on: 4th April 2024, 06:43 am

These delicious Italian anise cookies are traditional Christmas cookies and are a bit moist (not dry) and dipped in a a tasty anise glaze then topped with nonpareils. They’re EASY-to-make and a great addition to a holiday cookie tray any time of year but, especially for Christmas and Easter.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

Italian Cookie Recipes

Coming from a 100% Italian family, I’m pretty good with Italian cooking as my friends use me as an Italian cooking resource.

My parents were (R.I.P.) Italian immigrants after all and my mother was an excellent Italian home cook… like gourmet level! Luckily and thankfully, I inherited the cooking gene!

Italian cookies are a given in Italian households both in America and in Italy. This Christmas tradition has been passed down through generations. I’ve made Chocolate-dipped Amaretto Biscotti and Butter Cookiesthat everyone can’t stop eating.

My family LOVES these cookies, especially my boys. They’re part of our family traditions.

These traditional Italian cookies are so good that we just can’t wait until Christmas to eat them so, we make them at Easter too.

They’re also known as Italian anisette cookies. If you’ve never heard of anisette, you guessed it- It’s a liqueur made with anise.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (2)

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.

Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe

You don’t need anise seeds to make this recipe. you just need a bottle of anise extract to give your cookies good anise flavor. You’ll need a teaspoon anise extract for the cookie dough and another teaspoon for the icing.

By the way, you will not need vanilla extract for this recipe, which may come as a surprise.

Anise Cookies have a somewhat moist cookie center (if not overbaked) and flavored with anise extract in the cookie dough as well as the glaze.

Italian Anise Cookie Ingredients

*The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card below.

*Amazon affiliate links are below.

Cookie Decorating Ingredients

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (3)Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (4)

Baking Pro Tips:

  1. Measure ingredients accurately. The flour should not be heaping. Use a knife to spread off excess flour off of the measuring cup.
  2. Do not overbake your cookies. They’ll come out dry. Monitor them closely.
  3. Do not use liquid measuring cups for dry ingredients.
  4. Know your oven. Cookies on the top rack of the oven may brown faster than the bottom rack. Pull them out first and possibly before the other rack.
  5. Every time you open your oven, heat escapes. Don’t leave it open longer than you need to and add a little extra time for cookies to bake because the oven needs to reach the set temperature again.
  6. Storing your cookies properly– in air tight containers, keeps them fresher longer.
  7. Be sure not to add the icing to this cookie recipe until they’ve cooled and reached room temperature.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (5)

Substitutions

  • Use sprinkles instead of nonpareils or omit them if you wish. This Wilton Holiday Mix contains both and I use it.
  • If someone in your family doesn’t like anise, you can substitute lemon or almond extract instead in the same amounts and make two batches. You may also halve this recipe and use 1/2 tsp of lemon or almond extract for half the dough and glaze and 1/2 tsp of anise extract for the other half of the dough and glaze. Hope that’s not confusing.

Italian Anise Cookies are so, so delicious and one of my most popular recipes!! What’s more is they’re easy-to-make! They’re the perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray all year round but, especially for Christmas.

Make them for Easter too and use pastel nonpareils!

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (6)

See more cookie recipes or authentic Italian recipes!

Learn how to store, freeze and thaw cookies!

You may also like:

Traditional Italian Butter Cookies

Italian Easter Bread Pane di Pasqua

Italian Lemon Amaretti Cookies Recipe

Chocolate-Dipped Amaretto Biscotti

Easy Espresso Chocolate Chip Biscotti

See more COOKIE recipes.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (7)

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4.74 from 99 votes

Italian Anise Cookies

Italian Anise Cookies have a somewhat moist cookie center (if not overbaked) and flavored with anise extract in the cookie dough as well as the glaze. They're the perfect addition to your cookie tray all year round but, especially for Christmas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian Anise Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

cooling time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 140cal

Author Joanne Schweitzer

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup softened, butter one stick
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp anise extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp nonpareils any color desired

Anise Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp anise extract or 1/2 tsp if you prefer
  • 2 tbsp milk or slightly more

Instructions

  • First, preheat oven to 325F.

  • Next, cream butter: Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.

  • Then, add wet ingredients: one teaspoon of the anise extract, milk and eggs one at a time while mixing.

  • Next, add about 1/2 cup of flour at a time and mix until combined.

  • Then, add baking powder and salt and mix.

  • Next, line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

  • Then, make cookie dough balls with one and a half tbsp or so of cookie dough and place them on the cookie sheets in three rows of four. There should be twelve cookies per baking sheet. These cookies do not spread out a lot. Place cookie dough two inches apart.

  • Next, bake cookies at 325F for 10-15 minutes. The top of the cookies should not look wet. Insert a toothpick in the middle of some cookies to ensure cookies are fully baked. Toothpick should come out clean.

  • Then, cool cookies for 10 minutes before decorating.

Anise Glaze

  • In a small mixing bowl add powdered sugar, milk and the other teaspoon (or less if you prefer) of the anise extract. Stir until smooth. You may need to add a little (start with 1/2 tsp) more milk if the mixture is too thick. It's easy to add to much milk. If this happens, add more powdered sugar one tsp at a time until the mixture is thinner.

Cookie Decoration

  • First, dip the top of a cooled cookie into anise glaze and twist cookie to cover the top entirely.

  • Next, either dip the cookie into a small bowl of nonpareils (or sprinkles if you prefer) or use your fingers to sprinkle the nonpareils on top of you want to limit the number of nonpareils used.

Notes

Storage:

Store cookies in an air tight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days, as icing contains milk and is therefore perishable.

Freezer:

While decorated cookies are on the baking/cookie sheets, place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then, remove from cookie sheets and place in gallon freezer bags for up 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 140cal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was adapted from Love Bakes Good Cakes.

Optimized on 9/7/23.

Updated on 12/24/23.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular Italian cookie? ›

The Amaretti cookie is perhaps the most famous of all Italian cookies. The original Italian cookie recipe is believed to have been created in the 18th century. It's said they were a secret recipe which a newly married couple used to make cookies for the local bishop.

Why are my anise cookies flat? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so thin and flat? The butter or dough was too warm. Butter should be at room temperature (unless otherwise noted). If the dough seems too soft, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.

Do Italians use star anise? ›

Anise extract is a popular flavoring used in Italian cakes, cookies and pastries. It's made from steeping star anise (you know it, it looks like a cute little wooden star) in alcohol to extract the natural flavor. The aroma is reminiscent of fennel or licorice, which most people assume is too strong.

What are anisette cookies made of? ›

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add oil, milk, eggs, and 1 tablespoon anise extract; mix together to form a workable dough. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, flatten slightly, and place 1 inch apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

What is the number one selling cookie in the world? ›

The biggest selling cookie in the world is the Oreo, with total sales in excess of 500 billion since its introduction in the US in 1912. Now a favourite in markets across the world, if every Oreo ever made were to be stacked on top of each other the pile would reach to the Moon and back more than six times.

What is the best Italian flour for cookies? ›

For cookies, bars, cakes/cupcakes, biscuits, scones, or anything that needs a tender crumb, use Farina di grano tenero, 00. This is your “cake flour.” Nobody wants a chewy cake. For bread, I recommend starting off with Farina di Manitoba, grano tenero, 0; this is similar to standard American bread flour.

Who should not use star anise? ›

anisatum. 4 Given the difficulty of distinguishing between these species, star anise should not be administered to children. In all infants with acute neurological or digestive symptoms with no known cause, we should inquire about the use of star anise in tea or as gripe water.

Which is better star anise or anise? ›

The major culinary difference between anise and star anise is that anise seed is potent, with an almost spicy flavor, while star anise is subtly milder. They can be used interchangeably in recipes, but amounts must be adjusted to accommodate the mildness of the Asian ingredient.

What do Italians call anise? ›

anice {m} anise. There's 100 percent star anise in there. expand_more Lì dentro c'era Puro Anice Stellato.

What are Elvis cookies? ›

The Elvis: Peanut Butter, Banana and Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies. Recipe courtesy of Claudia Sidoti. Recipe courtesy of Claudia Sidoti.

What is the difference between anise and anisette? ›

Anise is always the main ingredient, and the liqueur also must meet minimum sugar (350 g/L), alcohol (38% abv) and anethole (anise aroma) content requirements. By comparison, anisette (sometimes seen as anisetta), is also an anise distillate, but it can be made with other ingredients in addition to anise.

Is anisette the same as Sambuca? ›

Anisette is a French liqueur flavored with anise seeds. Because of its strong flavor, it is often mixed with a splash of water, which turns it from clear to milky white. Sambuca is an Italian liqueur made from star anise or green anise, along with elderflower berries and licorice.

What cookie originated in Italy? ›

The phrase "Italian cookie" often conjures the image of a delightful biscotti. This thick cookie gets its shape from being sliced off a dough log after it has been baked. Then, the pieces of biscotti are re-baked to ensure a crispy exterior that is almost bread-like. Biscotti can come in almost any flavor.

Which Italian cookie literally means twice baked? ›

The word biscotto, used in modern Italian to refer to a biscuit (or cookie) of any type, originates from the Medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning 'twice-cooked'.

What cookies do Italians eat for breakfast? ›

Sicilian S cookies, also known as biscotti squisiti originating from Ragusa, Sicily, are crisp and lightly lemon scented. These are the perfect cookies for dunking in your milk or coffee! If you grew up in an Italian household you no doubt have memories of dunking S cookies in your milk…

What kind of cookies are in an Italian cookie tray? ›

Our Classic Italian assortment is a great way to sample of our traditional sweets. This tray includes Cranberry Almond Biscotti, Amaretto Biscotti with Almonds, Chocolate Almond Macaroons and Pignoli Cookies.

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