Hi Heather,
These are my families favorites since the 70’s derived from the Antoinette Pope’s New Cooking School cookbook. I usually use anise flavoring as I find the seeds to be too similar to insects occasionally found in the flour! My mother prefers to roll the cookies out onto the anise seeds and add a smaller amount of the anise flavoring.
I’m not a licorice fan, so didn’t enjoy these when I was very young, but my young daughters love these as much as I do. They’re really addictive!
Enjoy–
Carrie
Anise Cutout Cookies
1 lb butter
5 cups sifted flour
2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon anise seeds or 1 ½ teaspoons of anise flavoring
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and then mix in confectioner’s sugar. Do not over mix. Mix in wet ingredients. Turn out onto board “floured” with more confectioner’s sugar. NOTE: if using anise seeds, sprinkle seeds onto board before rolling cookies to avoid crushing them during the mixing. Roll to ¼” thickness. Cut out and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes, until slightly browned on the edges. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Ice with anise-flavored royal icing and decorate.
