Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (2024)

by Joanne Schweitzer

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Last Updated on: 23rd February 2024, 06:14 am

These delicious Italian anise cookies are traditional Christmas cookies and are a bit moist (not dry) and dipped in a a tasty anise glaze then topped with nonpareils. They’re EASY-to-make and a great addition to a holiday cookie tray any time of year but, especially for Christmas and Easter.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

Italian Cookie Recipes

Coming from a 100% Italian family, I’m pretty good with Italian cooking as my friends use me as an Italian cooking resource.

My parents were (R.I.P.) Italian immigrants after all and my mother was an excellent Italian home cook… like gourmet level! Luckily and thankfully, I inherited the cooking gene!

Italian cookies are a given in Italian households both in America and in Italy. This Christmas tradition has been passed down through generations. I’ve made Chocolate-dipped Amaretto Biscotti and Butter Cookiesthat everyone can’t stop eating.

My family LOVES these cookies, especially my boys. They’re part of our family traditions.

These traditional Italian cookies are so good that we just can’t wait until Christmas to eat them so, we make them at Easter too.

They’re also known as Italian anisette cookies. If you’ve never heard of anisette, you guessed it- It’s a liqueur made with anise.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (2)

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.

Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe

You don’t need anise seeds to make this recipe. you just need a bottle of anise extract to give your cookies good anise flavor. You’ll need a teaspoon anise extract for the cookie dough and another teaspoon for the icing.

By the way, you will not need vanilla extract for this recipe, which may come as a surprise.

Anise Cookies have a somewhat moist cookie center (if not overbaked) and flavored with anise extract in the cookie dough as well as the glaze.

Italian Anise Cookie Ingredients

*The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card below.

*Amazon affiliate links are below.

Cookie Decorating Ingredients

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (3)Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (4)

Baking Pro Tips:

  1. Measure ingredients accurately. The flour should not be heaping. Use a knife to spread off excess flour off of the measuring cup.
  2. Do not overbake your cookies. They’ll come out dry. Monitor them closely.
  3. Do not use liquid measuring cups for dry ingredients.
  4. Know your oven. Cookies on the top rack of the oven may brown faster than the bottom rack. Pull them out first and possibly before the other rack.
  5. Every time you open your oven, heat escapes. Don’t leave it open longer than you need to and add a little extra time for cookies to bake because the oven needs to reach the set temperature again.
  6. Storing your cookies properly– in air tight containers, keeps them fresher longer.
  7. Be sure not to add the icing to this cookie recipe until they’ve cooled and reached room temperature.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (5)

Substitutions

  • Use sprinkles instead of nonpareils or omit them if you wish. This Wilton Holiday Mix contains both and I use it.
  • If someone in your family doesn’t like anise, you can substitute lemon or almond extract instead in the same amounts and make two batches. You may also halve this recipe and use 1/2 tsp of lemon or almond extract for half the dough and glaze and 1/2 tsp of anise extract for the other half of the dough and glaze. Hope that’s not confusing.

Italian Anise Cookies are so, so delicious and one of my most popular recipes!! What’s more is they’re easy-to-make! They’re the perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray all year round but, especially for Christmas.

Make them for Easter too and use pastel nonpareils!

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (6)

See more cookie recipes or authentic Italian recipes!

Learn how to store, freeze and thaw cookies!

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Traditional Italian Butter Cookies

Italian Easter Bread Pane di Pasqua

Italian Lemon Amaretti Cookies Recipe

Chocolate-Dipped Amaretto Biscotti

Easy Espresso Chocolate Chip Biscotti

See more COOKIE recipes.

Italian Anise Cookies

Italian Anise Cookies have a somewhat moist cookie center (if not overbaked) and flavored with anise extract in the cookie dough as well as the glaze. They're the perfect addition to your cookie tray all year round but, especially for Christmas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian Anise Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

cooling time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 140cal

Author Joanne Schweitzer

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup softened, butter one stick
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp anise extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp nonpareils any color desired

Anise Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp anise extract or 1/2 tsp if you prefer
  • 2 tbsp milk or slightly more

Instructions

  • First, preheat oven to 325F.

  • Next, cream butter: Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.

  • Then, add wet ingredients: one teaspoon of the anise extract, milk and eggs one at a time while mixing.

  • Next, add about 1/2 cup of flour at a time and mix until combined.

  • Then, add baking powder and salt and mix.

  • Next, line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

  • Then, make cookie dough balls with one and a half tbsp or so of cookie dough and place them on the cookie sheets in three rows of four. There should be twelve cookies per baking sheet. These cookies do not spread out a lot. Place cookie dough two inches apart.

  • Next, bake cookies at 325F for 10-15 minutes. The top of the cookies should not look wet. Insert a toothpick in the middle of some cookies to ensure cookies are fully baked. Toothpick should come out clean.

  • Then, cool cookies for 10 minutes before decorating.

Anise Glaze

  • In a small mixing bowl add powdered sugar, milk and the other teaspoon (or less if you prefer) of the anise extract. Stir until smooth. You may need to add a little (start with 1/2 tsp) more milk if the mixture is too thick. It's easy to add to much milk. If this happens, add more powdered sugar one tsp at a time until the mixture is thinner.

Cookie Decoration

  • First, dip the top of a cooled cookie into anise glaze and twist cookie to cover the top entirely.

  • Next, either dip the cookie into a small bowl of nonpareils (or sprinkles if you prefer) or use your fingers to sprinkle the nonpareils on top of you want to limit the number of nonpareils used.

Notes

Storage:

Store cookies in an air tight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days, as icing contains milk and is therefore perishable.

Freezer:

While decorated cookies are on the baking/cookie sheets, place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then, remove from cookie sheets and place in gallon freezer bags for up 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 140cal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was adapted from Love Bakes Good Cakes.

Optimized on 9/7/23.

Updated on 12/24/23.

Good Italian Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular Italian cookie? ›

Most Popular Italian Cookies
  • Amaretti. These lovely almond-flavoured biscotti were supposedly first made during the Middle Ages. ...
  • Ricciarelli. ...
  • Baci di dama. ...
  • Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti. ...
  • Savoiardi. ...
  • Canestrelli. ...
  • Biscotti al Cocco. ...
  • Pizzelle.
Oct 22, 2020

Where did anise cookies come from? ›

As the name connotes, these delicious anise-flavored cookies originated in Italy where they are considered seasonal treats, especially at Christmas celebrations or other festivities. They are round-ish tender cookies covered in glaze and colorful sprinkles.

What is the history of Italian Christmas cookies? ›

They originated in Ortona, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Families once had pizzelle irons made with family crests, special dates, or other celebratory designs to decorate the cookies with. The crispy cookies quickly became an Italian holiday favorite.

What is a popular Italian cookie? ›

Italian cookies are beloved for their wide variety and unique flavors. Let's explore some of the classic Italian cookie varieties that have stood the test of time: Biscotti: Perhaps one of the most famous Italian cookies, biscotti are crispy, twice-baked treats that are perfect for dipping in coffee or wine.

What is the number one cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the difference between anise and anisette? ›

Anise is always the main ingredient, and the liqueur also must meet minimum sugar (350 g/L), alcohol (38% abv) and anethole (anise aroma) content requirements. By comparison, anisette (sometimes seen as anisetta), is also an anise distillate, but it can be made with other ingredients in addition to anise.

Is anisette good for you? ›

Eating foods rich in iron, like anise seed, can keep your blood healthy and reduce your risk of iron deficiency anemia. Several studies have shown that anise seed can reduce the symptoms of clinical depression. In mice, anise relieved symptoms of depression as effectively as two commonly used antidepressants.

What does anisette mean in Italian? ›

Anisette is a sweet but potent liqueur made from aniseseed. Anise, called anice (pronounced ah-NEE-cheh) in Italian, once grew wild in the Mediterranean and is one of the oldest known spice plants. It was used in Egypt as far back as 1500 B.C. and was mentioned in the Bible.

Why are my anise cookies flat? ›

Using too much baking soda.

Try using baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking soda encourages spreading while baking powder puffs the cookies up. If your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, you would use 3 to 4 teaspoons of baking powder.

Why is star anise so expensive? ›

Why is star anise so expensive? Like many spices that are considered to be high-end or "pricy", the price tag on star anise is owed to the production and harvesting processes. Star anise is hand-harvested and is limited as to where it can be grown. It is also a beloved spice around the globe and is in demand.

What is the difference between anise and star anise? ›

Star Anise: What's the Difference? Anise seed and star anise come from two entirely different plants with origins in different parts of the world. Both do have similar flavor profiles because they share the essential oil anethole, though star anise is considered more bitter and herbaceous.

What do Italians call their cookies? ›

The word biscotto, used in modern Italian to refer to a biscuit (or cookie) of any kind, originates from the Medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning 'twice-cooked'.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie every year? ›

Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

What is the name of the Italian cookie? ›

This is the proper name for the biscuit we know as biscotti, which in Italian just means “cookies.” Twice-baked and sliced, these ultra-crunchy, not-too-sweet biscuits are usually studded with nuts and simply beg to be dipped in coffee, tea, or a glass of vin santo.

What cookie originated in Italy? ›

Italian Biscotti: Twice-Baked Traditions

Biscotti are traditionally made with simple ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and nuts. Almond biscotti, one of the most famous variations, showcases the nutty richness that defines Italian biscotti.

What is Europe's favorite cookie? ›

Europe's favorite cookie with coffee since 1932. Biscoff Cookies are a type of shortcrust biscuit known as "speculoos", a Belgian specialty. Often served as a side to coffee, Biscoff Cookies are well-known for its unique caramelized flavor.

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