Anise Drops

I hadn't taken out butter before leaving for work to soften, and I was short on time for making a variety of Christmas cookies and saw that these Anise Drops didn't require any butter, so I went for it.

I don't like the taste of black licorice, but I love anise cookies. An ex-boyfriend's mother used to make anise cookies for him and I loved those cookies. The anise drops have a different texture than her cookies, but definitely the same flavor.

What You Need
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until eggs are fluffy.

Gradually beat in the sugar until incorporated. Mix in anise extract.

Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture.



I used a tablespoon scoop to transfer the mixture onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.



[If you want to get all fancy, the instructions tell you to transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806) and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds, spacing about 1/2 inch apart.]

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops crack and cookies are very pale, 8 to 9 minutes.



Transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool.



What I like about this recipe is you can basically use any flavor extract. I've got some langka extract I can wait to try with this recipe!