Anise Cookies — The Taste of December, Baked Into Every Bite

December. First Christmas in the Cascade Heights house. Zoe has claimed the tree decoration rights — this year's theme is "magnolia" because of course it is. White flowers, gold ornaments, warm lights. The tree is in the living room by the window that faces the street, and the neighbors can see it when they walk past, which is the point. Zoe's tree is a statement to the neighborhood: we are here, we have taste, and our daughter is an artist.

Christmas plans: Marcus and Keisha are coming (her first Christmas with us — I am both excited and terrified in the way that mothers are when sons bring serious girlfriends to major holidays). Jasmine flying from Howard. Isaiah driving from Charlotte. The house will be full — truly full, the way the Cascade Heights house was built to be full, with the extra bedrooms and the big kitchen and the table that seats twelve.

Cookbook news: the advance copies arrive in January. January! The book will exist as a physical object in my hands in six weeks. Katherine says the response from early readers has been strong. A food blogger in Birmingham requested an advance copy. A church bookstore in Savannah wants to stock it. The book is finding its audience before it exists, the way recipes find their cooks — through word of mouth, through community, through the network of women who feed people and tell other women about it.

Made Mama's gingerbread — not the cookie kind, the cake kind, the dense, spicy, molasses-dark cake that Mama made every December and served warm with whipped cream. The recipe is in the cookbook. The house smelled like December and like Mama and like the Cascade Heights of my childhood, and the smelling was the homecoming I didn't know I needed. Curtis ate a slice and closed his eyes and the closing was the tasting of memory. He doesn't taste with his mouth anymore. He tastes with his whole history.

The gingerbread brought Mama into the room, and I wasn’t ready for that — the way a smell can collapse thirty years into a single breath. When the house settled and the warmth from the oven still hung in the air, I found myself reaching for something else to bake, something that carries the same kind of December-ness: these anise cookies, licorice-sweet and old-world and festive in exactly the way that a house full of children coming home for Christmas deserves. They’re the kind of cookie you set out on a plate and people stop mid-conversation to reach for one — and then reach for another. Zoe’s magnolia tree in the window, the table set for twelve, the advance copies coming in January — all of it called for something that tasted like celebration baked in advance.

Anise Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes (plus 1 hour chill time) | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• For the glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2–3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
• Nonpareil sprinkles, for decorating

Instructions

1. Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add eggs and extracts. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the anise extract and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
4. Combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the 2 tablespoons of milk, mixing on low speed just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
5. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until the dough is firm enough to roll.
6. Preheat oven. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Shape the cookies. Roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
8. Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly golden and the tops are set but still pale. Do not overbake — these cookies are meant to stay tender. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
9. Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2–3 tablespoons of milk, and anise extract until smooth and pourable. Add milk one teaspoon at a time to reach your desired consistency.
10. Glaze and decorate. Spoon or dip the tops of each cooled cookie into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. Immediately top with nonpareil sprinkles. Set on the wire rack until the glaze is fully set, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 95 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 35mg