These olive oil anise cookies are tender, cakey, and chock-full of licorice flavor. They are super versatile and customizable, and the perfect accompaniment for your morning coffee or addition to a holiday cookie tray.
I learned the recipe for these olive oil anise cookies from the members of the Ulster County Italian American Foundation (UCIAF). The group (which includes my dad and step-mom) was gracious enough to let me come in to photograph and enjoy a lesson on baking Easter bread this past spring, and I’ve been waiting for the holiday season to post the recipe for the olive oil anise cookies. Since Easter bread takes a while to rise, our instructor Maryann figured we could make a cookie while we waited. These cookies fit the bill perfectly. The dough is quick to throw together, and they only need to bake for about 8-10 minutes. They were the perfect treat to have with coffee while we waited, chatting and sharing family stories.
WHAT SETS THESE COOKIES APART
These olive oil anise cookies may be slightly different from other cookies you’re used to. They don’t crumble or fall apart as others do, due to the use of oil in the dough instead of butter. They come out browned only on the bottom while the rest of the cookie stays pale. The texture is more bready and cakey rather than crumbly and crispy. But much like biscotti, this makes them perfect for dunking in coffee.
As per their name, these cookies get their flavor from anise extract, or as Italian Americans call it, anisette. It’s a delicate licorice flavor. And while Maryann’s original recipe calls for vegetable oil, we used olive oil the day we made these. I decided to stick with olive oil for my version of the recipe. The flavor of it plays nicely with the anise, and offsets the sweetness of the cookie. I also love this recipe because the dough can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days, which makes baking these a breeze for entertaining. The baked cookies can also be stored in the freezer for up to a month, and the dough for up to 3 months, to make fresh cookies whenever you want.
GENETTI, ANGINETTI, JENETTES, ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES
I’m calling these olive oil anise cookies, a fitting descriptor, because this type of cookie really has so many different names. Maryann calls them genetti, but they are also called anginetti, jenettes (shortened the way most Italian American slang is) or Italian wedding cookies. As Italian Americans, we share many of the same experiences when it comes to food and cooking. But others are unique to our specific families or the region of Italy that our ancestors came from. Anginetti seems to be the most popular name for them, and most of the anginetti cookie recipes I found online use lemon flavoring instead of anise.
GET CREATIVE AND CUSTOMIZE
I may call these “olive oil anise cookies,” but you can follow the dough recipe and make them in any style you like. Try using lemon, vanilla or almond extract instead of anise. Get creative. The dough is sticky and you can experiment with adding more flour for a denser cookie. Have fun making them into different shapes. These cookies are traditionally covered in glaze and sprinkles. Change things up here too. Try adding extracts to the glaze, or even lemon zest. Anise and lemon are a classic pairing, like an espresso with sambuca and a twist of lemon.
Olive Oil Anise Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tsp anise extract to taste
For the glaze, optional
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- 1/2-1 tsp extract to taste
- sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat eggs, olive oil and sugar together until fluffy, 5 minutes. Add in milk and anise extract and stir to combine.
- In a seperate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. While mixing, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet. The dough will be very soft, but should not be sticky.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it well. Scoop the dough out onto a well floured work surface. Shape your cookies. You can keep the dough soft and make drop cookies by letting a spoonful of dough fall onto the baking sheet. Or add more flour to roll the dough into balls or shape into logs that you can twist into decortative designs. Be careful adding too much flour; you don't want the dough to get too dense.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. They will still be pale on the top, but golden brown on the bottom.
- Optional: make the glaze by mixing powdered sugar, milk and extract. Decorate the cookies with the glaze and sprinkles.
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