Anise Cookies

Sorry, no photo for this one - the cookies disappeared too quickly...

These are a simple 'cakey' (i.e. soft, not crisp) sugar cookie, flavored with anise extract.

Start by softening 1 cup (8 oz; 2 sticks) butter at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Once soft, beat in a mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add 3/4 cup sugar and cream (keep beating until smooth again). Slow down to stir speed and add 3 cups flour, 3 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp anise extract. Stir until combined, then stir in 2 eggs, until a smooth dough forms.

Form your dough into small balls, and set directly on 2 cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 15 minutes, switching the sheets halfway through. Once the time is up, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Note 1 - Be sure to use anise extract or anise flavoring for this recipe. Anise oil can be substituted, but very sparingly - 1/4 tsp would probably be too much. I made this mistake once, and the cookies were painfully anise-y!

Note 2 - Apologies for the lack of weight measures in this recipe. I threw these together quickly and did not figure out weights.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 8 oz = 225g; 3/4 cup = 180 ml; 3 cups = 700 ml; 350 F = 175 C.

Ginger Cookies

I came across this recipe (and minimally adapted it) in Alton Brown's excellent book 'I'm Just Here for More Food'. Faced with a craving for cookies and a lack of white sugar, these fit the bill nicely.

These are icebox cookies, meaning that you make the dough the day before and chill it in the refrigerator overnight, so plan accordingly.

Start by softening 4 oz (1 stick) butter by leaving it at room temperature for at least an hour. Put it in a mixer and beat with the paddle until smooth. Add 8 oz brown sugar and 1 tbsp molasses, and cream (beat) together until smooth again. Slow the mixer down to stir and add 1 egg. Once incorporated, add 9.5 oz flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix just until combined. Lay out 2 pieces of parchment paper. Drop half of your dough onto each piece of paper and roll up into two 2 inch diameter logs. Twist the paper at the ends to 'seal' and set in the refrigerator overnight to chill.

The next day, preheat the oven to 375 F, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4 inch slices, and lay out on the cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, switching the positions of the sheets halfway through. They are ready to remove when the centers have set but they are still soft. Remove the cookies from the sheet (keep them on the paper - just slide it off the sheet) to a cooling rack, and leave to cool. Enjoy!

Note 1 - For UK readers, molasses = treacle, and baking soda = bicarbonate of soda.

Note 2 - These cookies are halfway between chewy and crispy. The longer you leave them in the oven, the crispier they will become.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 4 oz = 110g; 9.5 oz = 270g; 2 inches = 5 cm; 375 F = 190 C; 1/4 inch = 6 mm.