Name: Easy Italian Anise Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar; 1 large egg; ⅓ cup (70 grams) light olive oil; 1-1/2 teaspoon anise extract; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; 1-½ cups (180 grams) all purpose flour (see notes for gluten-free); ¾ cup (75 grams) almond flour; 1-½ teaspoons baking powder; 1 cup (115 grams) powdered sugar; 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, very softened; 2-3 tablespoons whole milk; Sugar or sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Jump to Recipe· 5 from 7 reviews

Dense and moist, these Italian Anise Cookies are an easy-to-make classic Christmas cookie. The cookie dough, flavored with anise extract is made with just a bowl and a spoon, and decorated with a simple glaze and sprinkles.

Baked italian anise cookies with sprinkles.

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Italian Anise Cookies

Anise cookies were a staple at my holiday table (just like this Italian Ricotta Pie). Unfortunately, as a child, I disliked these cookies intensely. Our Italian family served them at nearly every holiday gathering, with many batches showing up at Christmastime. My sister and I would bite into these fun-looking cookies covered in frosting and sprinkles and were so surprised when the strong anise flavor hit our taste buds. How could a cookie that looks so sweet and innocent have such an intense black licorice flavor? (I know as a kid I would have much preferred either these similar Lemon Drop Cookies or Italian Orange Cookies.)

Now that I'm an adult, I appreciate that unique flavor that is anise. It tastes vaguely sweet, but also with a darker nuance to it. And my kids love it! So even though my childhood self would never believe that I now too serve these cookies every year at Christmas, It brings me joy to keep the tradition going with my family.

So, I set out to make a version of anise cookies that was perfect in my mind. These cookies are dense, moist, and with a strong anise flavor. The glaze on top has a small bit of butter added to it, which makes it slightly softer and luxurious. Add sprinkles, or don't!

Lastly, they're easily made with gluten-free flour too. And, if you really really want to, you can easily swap out the anise extract for vanilla, or almond extract or even lemon!

I tested this recipe 18 times before I felt it hit exactly how I wanted it to, but it was worth it. I hope this cookie turns up on your holiday table year after year, too.

So, let's get to making it, shall we? The article below is jam-packed full of useful information. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe.

Jump to:

Italian Anise Cookies
Ingredients Needed
Making the Cookie Dough
Baking Tips
How to Decorate the Cookies
Make Ahead Instructions
Making These Cookies Gluten-Free
More Cookie Recipes
More Christmas Recipes:
Full Recipe

An Italian anise cookie with a glaze displayed with a bite taken out of it.

Ingredients Needed

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.

all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-1 baking flour--I recommend King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Flour or Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour)
almond flour (this provides a lovely texture and moistness to the cookie-I hate to say it, but this recipe was specifically developed with the use of almond flour in it. If you can't have it or don't want to use almond flour, I, unfortunately, can't recommend a replacement, and you can't just substitute in additional wheat flour and get the same result.)
light olive oil (theoretically, you could swap olive oil out for butter if you wanted, but you might need to use a little bit more of it, as olive oil is all fat without any added water or milk solids. I'd recommend adding in another tablespoon or two of butter if you are making the swap. Melt it before adding it to the dough. Just know this will make the cookies less moist if you do swap it out.)
egg
granulated sugar
anise extract and vanilla extract
salt + baking powder
optional glaze (milk+ butter + powdered sugar)
decorative sugars or sprinkles, or non-pareils (here are my favorite natural food dye sprinkles and sugars)

Because of the addition of almond flour, this recipe is a bit different than the traditional recipe. Almond flour adds extra fat to the dough, which results in needing less added oil. When making it, you might feel that the dough is going to be too dry, but it won't be. Once baked up, the almond flour will add lovely moisture and a pleasing density to the cookie texture.

The dough is made simply with a bowl and a spoon.

Ingredients for anise cookies in a bowl.

Step 1: Whisk together the wet ingredients (including the sugar), then add in the dry.

Step 2: Mix together until just combined. The dough will be stiff.

One thing to note is that it's important to try to dissolve the sugar when whisking together the wet ingredients. This cookie is baked for very little time (about 12 minutes), which doesn't give much time for the sugar to melt. Remember, these are thick cookies. So, when you are whisking the wet ingredients together, give it a few extra seconds of whisking than you typically would, to help that sugar dissolve into the oil and egg.

Anise cookie dough on a baking sheet unbaked.

To portion out the dough, use a cookie scoop. You want to use a 1-ounce cookie scoop, or about 2 tablespoons of dough. If you are weighing it, the dough is dense, so it should weigh 1-¾ ounce.

This recipe makes 13 cookies. Double or triple it to make a larger batch.

Baking Tips

Did you know that most cookie dough benefits from a slight rest? Resting the assembled dough allows the flour to hydrate fully and the ingredients to harmonize, improving the bake's texture, taste, and overall quality.

I'm not insisting on this step in the recipe, but I mention it for those who read beyond the title and the recipe. Consider refrigerating the dough for 15 minutes; It's a small step, but results in a slightly better cookie.

The anise cookies should be removed from the oven slightly underbaked to ensure the perfect texture, as the cookies will continue to cook from the residual heat once removed. You can tell the cookies are ready when they start to puff up and have slight cracks in them, but they should still have a slightly moist look.

Take them out of the oven and let them sit on the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Baked Italian anise cookies on a sheet tray.

How to Decorate the Cookies

You can truly decorate this cookie any way your heart desires once you've got the glaze on top.

Traditionally, in the bakeries my family shopped at, the cookies would be adorned with colorful nonpareils. In my home, we avoid artificial food coloring, so I found some fun naturally colored crunchy sprinkles, and I liked the added textural component. We've also been decorating them with naturally colored sprinkles, too.

Make Ahead Instructions

These cookies last up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container, undecorated or decorated. However, be aware that these cookies dry out easily, so make sure to storage them once cooled.

I don't recommend freezing the cookie dough, but the baked undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.

Making These Cookies Gluten-Free

What I really set out for with this cookie was making it with an easy 1-1 swap of gluten-free flour. This cookie nearly can do this, but with two small minor adjustments.

They felt a bit dry when I swapped out the flour for a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend (I use Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Flour), so I felt like it needed about 2 tablespoons of milk added. Because adding milk made the cookies spread more, I recommend chilling the dough for about 30 minutes, until cold.

It stops them from spreading out, but for sure, the gluten-free version is flatter than the traditional version. However, the taste more than makes up for it. Once they are decorated, you can hardly tell.

More Christmas Recipes:

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Full Recipe

Easy Italian Anise Cookies

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 7 reviews

Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:10
Cook Time: 00:12
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 13 cookies
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
⅓ cup (70 grams) light olive oil
1-½ teaspoon anise extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1-½ cups (180 grams) all purpose flour (see notes for gluten-free)
¾ cup (75 grams) almond flour
1-½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (115 grams) powdered sugar
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, very softened
2-3 tablespoons whole milk
Sugar or sprinkles for decorating (optional)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together granulated sugar, egg, olive oil, anise extract, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl until well combined, and the mixture has lightened in color.
Add in all-purpose flour, almond flour, and baking powder and mix together with a sturdy spoon until the dough is combined.
Roll dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons in size) and place on a baking sheet about 1-½ inches apart.
Bake on the center rack for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies have just started to puff and slightly crack.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Add powdered sugar, softened butter and 2 tablespoons of milk to a bowl and whisk together until very creamy and smooth, about the consistency of thick heavy cream. If the glaze is too thick, add in another tablespoon of milk.
Once cookies are cooled, dip the tops into the glaze and let the excess drop off. Top with decorative sugar or sprinkles. Let the glaze set before transferring to an air-tight container until ready to serve.

Notes

This dough is stiff. You’ll need a little bit of arm muscle to get it to come together, or alternatively you could use a stand mixer to do the work for you. Just be careful not to overmix the dough.

For gluten-free, use a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Gluten-free Flour) and add 2 tablespoons milk to the wet ingredients. The cookie dough should chill in the freezer for 15 minutes, or 30 minutes in the refrigerator, before scooping for baking. The cookies will be slightly flatter than traditional cookies.

Do not let the cookies sit uncovered for more than 6 hours or so. They are prone to hardening when left at room temperature outside of an air-tight container.

Cookies will keep in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. Undecorated cookies can be frozen fully baked for 1 month. I do not recommend freezing the cookie batter.

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