Anise Pine-Nut Cookies
Submitted by roxanne
Delicate butter cookies with ground anise and toasted pine nuts mixed into the dough, topped with whole pine nuts for elegant, nutty-sweet bites.
YIELD
4 dozenPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
50 minThese cookies are all about texture and subtle flavor: you grind toasted pine nuts and aniseed together into the dough, creating little pockets of nutty richness and gentle licorice notes, then crown each drop cookie with a few whole pine nuts that toast golden in the oven.
The combination of butter and shortening makes them tender but structured enough to hold their shape.
They’re delicate (let them cool on the sheet before moving or they’ll crumble) but worth the gentle handling.
Pro Tips
- Toast pine nuts first: Five minutes at 325°F brings out their buttery flavor and prevents them from tasting raw.
- Grind anise and nuts fine: Processing them to a fine grind distributes flavor evenly throughout the dough.
- Cool on sheet 2 minutes: These are fragile straight from the oven; brief cooling firms them up for safe transfer.
- Switch pan positions halfway: Rotating baking sheets ensures even browning on all cookies.
Variations
- Add lemon zest: Fold in a teaspoon of lemon zest for brightness that complements the anise.
- Dip in chocolate: Once cooled, dip bottoms in melted dark chocolate for an elegant finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Using electric mixer, cream together the butter, shortening, and the sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla. In another bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder, and add the flour to the butter mixture.
Process the aniseed and ½ cup of the cooled pine nuts to a fine grind, and add to the dough.
Blend well. Drop teaspoons of the dough 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets, topping each cookie with several of the remaining pine nuts.
Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 18 to 20 minutes until they are golden.
Switch the positions of the baking sheets halfway through the cooking time.
Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 2 minutes and carefully transfer (the cookies are very delicate) to racks.
Store in airtight containers.
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