Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ lb sugar
• 1 pinch anice seeds
• water to taste

Preparation

1 hour preparation + 30 minutes cooking

Using a mixer, or by hand, work together the flour, sugar and aniseed with a little water until you have a smooth, uniform dough 1-inch balls and allow them to dry for thirty minutes.

Place the balls in a muffin tin, one ball in each mold. The molds should be small enough so that the dough touches the edge.

Bake the cookies in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Then remove from the oven and serve hot. Reheat before serving, if you plan to serve them later. 

Food History

Although anise seeds are used to give flavor to all types of recipes, they are most well known use is to prepare tea and other beverages. The Egyptians used anise to make a medicinal drink, where as the Romans used them to flavor wine. Later, in Northern European monasteries, anise seed was used to make liqueurs. Between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, anise-based beverages reached the top of their popularity. At the time, there were various anise-flavored spirits were being produced and during prohibition, they quickly became associated with the bohemian culture.

Other suggested recipes

• Aniseed Ring Cookies 
• Cancelle (Anise-flavored cakes) 
• Anicini Biscuits