Savor the sweet aroma of anise with this recipe for Anisette Sponge Cookies. Their soft and pillowy texture is reminiscent of Stella D’oro’s coffee treats.
Are you ready to relive your childhood memories?
If you’re anything like me, you have fond memories of dipping Stella d’Oro Anisette Sponge Cookies into a glass of milk during your childhood. And as you got older, that ritual transitioned to enjoying them with a cup of coffee.
I’ve been on a mission to replicate that nostalgic recipe for years.
While these Italian anise seed cookies came close, I’ve finally perfected the recipe.
Introducing anise sponge cookies—a delightful treat that combines the light, airy texture of Pan di Spagna with the sweet, aromatic flavor of anise.
If you are a fan of licorice and dunking cookies, you’re going to love these cookies.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Cake Flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, resulting in a more tender and delicate texture. As an optional substitution, you can use all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: This leavening agent helps the cookies rise and become light and fluffy.
- Ground Anise Seed: Ground anise seed adds a distinct licorice-like flavor to the cookies. It’s a key ingredient for that authentic anisette taste.
- Salt: Just a pinch enhances the overall flavor of the cookies.
- Eggs: Eggs provide the cookies’ structure, moisture, and richness. Room-temperature eggs incorporate more easily into the batter.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar sweetens the cookies and also contributes to their texture. It helps create a tender crumb and adds sweetness to balance the anise flavor.
- Honey: Honey adds moisture, sweetness, and a subtle depth of flavor to the cookies. It can contribute to a chewy texture.
- Anise Extract: Anise extract intensifies the anise flavor in the cookies.
How to make
- Sift 1 cup (142 grams) of cake flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground anise seed and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Set aside for now.
- In the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, whisk 2 eggs with ⅓ cup of granulated sugar on high speed for 3-4 minutes until thick and doubled in volume.
- Whisk in 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of anise extract into the egg and sugar mixture.
- Sift the dry over the wet ingredients in two separate additions and use a rubber spatula to fold gently. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
- Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Carefully spread the batter in the center of the parchment-lined baking sheet. I use a large ice cream scooper. You can watch the video included in the recipe card to see how this is done.
- Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until the surface springs back when lightly pressed.
- Allow the baked loaf to cool on the cookie sheet for one minute.
- Transfer carefully to a wire rack and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
Slice into ½-inch slices and enjoy your delicious Italian Sponge Cookies!
Tips
- Allow your eggs to come to room temperature before using them. Room-temperature eggs whip up better and incorporate more air into the batter, resulting in lighter, fluffier cookies.
- Although these cookies can be made with all-purpose flour, cake flour is recommended.
- When incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, do so gently. Overmixing can deflate the batter and lead to dense cookies. Fold just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- To prevent soggy bottoms, transfer the baked loaf to a cooling rack.
FAQ
While anise extract is essential for achieving the signature anise flavor in these cookies, you can experiment with other extracts if you prefer a different taste.
Yes. Use half the amount of anise extract compared to anise seeds. For instance, this recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of anise seeds, that you can substitute with ½ teaspoon of anise extract.
The main difference is texture. Anise sponge cookies are softer with a subtle licorice flavor, whereas anise biscotti are crispier and crunchier.
Italian anise cookie recipes
The delicate aroma and irresistible flavor of anise make it a standout ingredient in creating delicious cookies. Here are a few of my favorite Italian cookies to make with this spice.
Recipe inspiration
Let me take you on my journey to recreate these soft anise cookies. It all started with a serious case of cookie nostalgia. Since the New York bakery stopped making them, I’ve been longing for those Stella D’oro cookies [source].
I even tried searching for them on Amazon, but the price was surprisingly steep!
Despite my best efforts, I failed to recreate the recipe – until recently.
While catching up with an old friend a few weeks ago, our conversation somehow drifted to Stella D’oro cookies. To my surprise, she had a copycat recipe for them.
She graciously shared her recipe with me. Naturally, I made a few tweaks, like swapping all-purpose flour for cake flour, decreasing the amount of sugar, and adding ground anise powder.
Sure, it’s not an exact replica of the original, but it’s pretty close.
Hope these will bring back some fond memories like they did to me.
Just for you! A printable baking checklist to help you keep track of all your baking needs.
If you love to bake, this is for you! Simply subscribe to my weekly newsletter and receive this FREE BAKING CHECKLIST PRINTABLE!
This way, you won’t miss any of my new recipes, and it’s FREE!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community, where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made these Italian sponge cookies, I would love to hear about them in the comments below, and be sure to rate the recipe!
Traditional Italian cookies
Recipe
Anisette Sponge Cookies Copycat Stella D’oro Recipe
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter you email below and I’ll send the link to your inbox.
PLUS, be the first to get newly published recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour 142 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground anise seed
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 66 grams
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1½ teaspoon anise extract
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, ground anise seed and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer whisk the eggs with the sugar on high speed for 3-4 minutes until thick and double in volume.
- Whisk in the honey and anise extract.
- Sift the dry over the wet ingredients in two separate additions and use a rubber spatula to fold gently. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
- Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Carefully spread the batter in the center of the parchment-lined baking sheet. I use a large ice cream scooper. You can watch the video included in the recipe card to see how this is done.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the surface springs back when lightly pressed.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for one minute.
- Transfer the loaf carefully to a wire rack and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
- Slice into ½-inch slices and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Allow your eggs to come to room temperature before using them. Room-temperature eggs whip up better and incorporate more air into the batter, resulting in lighter, fluffier cookies.
- Although these cookies can be made with all-purpose flour, cake flour is recommended.
- When incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, do so gently. Overmixing can deflate the batter and lead to dense cookies. Fold just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- To prevent soggy bottoms, transfer the baked loaf to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter you email below and I'll send the link to your inbox.
PLUS, be the first to get newly published recipes!
Eleni
Easy to make.Too sweet for me. Cut down the sugar
Maria Yates
Maria , I just discovered this recipe on your website, I am so very excited. My mother is turning 94 in March, of course we are Italian. We live in a Rural community in Tennessee, nothing Italian to be seen. My parents are from Big Italian Families in New Jersey and New York. I bake as many of my Grandmothers and Mothers Recipes, My Mother always enjoyed a Stella Dora ! None to be purchased in our community. My Mother will be thrilled when I bakes this recipe for her. Thank you so very much for keeping Italian Traditional Food Alive !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maria
Happy Birthday to your mom ♥
My pleasure Maria! Thanks so much for taking the time to share.
PAWILLI
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for posting this recipe for this delicious sponge cookie…they have great flavor and texture.
I too have been craving the old stella d’oro anistte SPONGE from my “childhood”. My grocery store in the midwest still carries them but they are ALWAYS out of stock.
Yours are BETTER!
Wishing you and your family a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy, Healthy New Year….
– Paula
Maria
Thank you so much for your kind words Paula! Wishing you and your loved ones all the best for this holiday season and throughout the year as well!
Nicolette S Prosser
Thank you for sharing. I just finished making them, and I noticed they are a just a little
chewy. I will definitely use the cake flour next time. Hopefully that will help.
Maria
Thanks for sharing Nicolette. I find the texture is slightly better with the cake flour.
Linda Teese
I was so happy to see your copycat recipe! I absolutely love the flavor of anise. Just made these. Came out pretty good. I didn’t use cake flour which may have made these a tiny bit “tough” but still delicious. Next time I’ll use cake flour and be more gentle when I fold wet into dry. Thank you!
Maria
My pleasure! Thanks for sharing Linda!
Deborah Lochli Mcgrath
Hi Marie I made them and loved them
Only wonder why mine not as high as yours. They were lite in texture but could be higher.
I ll try again.
Thanks
Deb
Maria
Thanks for sharing Deborah. Perhaps you can try beating the eggs a little longer.
Sandra Cellini
Just made these cookies…delicious!
Maria
So thrilled to read this! Thanks so much for sharing Sandra!
Mom-Mom Chrissy
I just made these cookies yesterday,and we LOVE them..this will definitely be my go to recipe when i crave that anise flavor that I love so much! I do need to practice more on spooning it out as perfectly as Marie,but that’s the perfect excuse to keep making these cookies.lol
Maria
lol… Thanks so much for sharing ♥
Sandy
If I don’t have the ground anise, can I just add more of the extract? How much would you think to add to keep that anise flavor level? Thanks!
Maria
Great question Sandy! I’ve updated the FAQ section to include this information. Use half the amount of anise extract compared to anise seeds. For instance, this recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of anise seeds, that you can substitute with ½ teaspoon of anise extract. If you really love anise, you can bump the total amount of anise extract to 1 tablespoon. Thanks so much for stopping by ♥
Maria
If I were to replace the anise seed and anise extract with chocolate chips morsels instead, would the cookies bake the same.
Maria
This sounds like a great variation Maria! Although I have never tried, I would say that should work perfectly. Would love to hear about your results. Thanks for stopping by!
Nick Micalone
Hi –
I look forward to and thoroughly enjoy your blog, and finally took the time to comment.
Your blog brings back fond memories of an enchanted era, sometimes with melancholy. Consequently, I feel a sort of a kinship with you, though we are not related. Please allow me to explain
I was born and grew up in The Bronx, a borough of NY City, in the area known as “Little Italy.” It was centered around the well known Arthur Avenue. A mecca for Italian food. In that one block, and around the corner on 187th Street, there where 6 pastry shops, with 6 butcher shops on the one block of Arthur Avenue alone. Rest assured, I was a frequent customer of the pastry shops
My grand father founded a large combination grocery and butcher shop on Arthur Avenue (“The Avenue”), when it was lined with push carts; the vast majority selling fruits and vegetables. One push cart was kept under the steps of the cellar of my fathers store for Nanina, when the push carts were banned by mayor Fiorella Laguardia, a story for another time
Ironically, “The Avenue” location of my grandfather’s large store is now occupied by Modern Markets Occasionally, I would meet someone who had kind words in regards to my grandfather’s store. He was generous to the poor and had low prices, since he and the family worked there, receiving little or no wages.
Many years ago, there was a Movie, “Marty”, which was the name of the protagonist, a butcher, that opens at the beginning of “The Avenue.”, and filmed a scene in the butcher shop still in existence, from after WW II, till this day. It starred Earnest Borginine, a versatile actor. A copy of the blurb follows:
“Marty is a 1955 American romantic drama film directed by Delbert Mann in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name, which was broadcast on The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and starred Rod Steiger in the title role. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and Betsy Blair. In addition to also winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film enjoyed international success, becoming the first film to win the Palme d’Or. Wikipedia” I still vividly member scenes from that film.
At Christmas and Easter, my mother was a whirlwind baker. My favorite was the two variations of Ricotta cheese cakes. My father’s favorite pastry was Sfogliatella Riccia, a fondness he acquired from when he was working for a pasticceria.
The “Avenue” has changed dramatically, with only a dozen or so of the original shops remaining. A few are still operated by the original founder’s progeny.. Life goes on; or, to coin the expression found on old time Grandfather Clocks; “Tempest Fugit.”
My grandfather sold the store, and bought a farm in Saratoga Springs, NY. At about the same time he opened a small butcher shop across from the beginning of Arthur Ave, operated by his son, Uncle Pete. He later sold the shop to my father, who operated it from about 1940 to about some time in the early 1970s. He was a complete Italian butcher, much as your husband.
I was born in 1935, lived through the Great Depression and World War II, which ended in 1945 when I was 10 year old. I grew up as the era of the “Greatest Generation” flourished; the best years of my life. Lest I forget, my grandmother’s name was Maria, and my niece’s name is Maria.
But I bore you, and will close with –
Wishing you and yours the very best,
Nick
Maria
Hello Nick!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your memories and experiences with us. This was definitely not boring! Your connection to “Little Italy” in The Bronx and your family’s legacy on Arthur Avenue paint such a vivid picture of a bygone era filled with community, tradition, and resilience.
It’s fascinating to hear about your grandfather’s grocery and butcher shop and the integral role it played in the neighborhood. As a side note, my dad’s name was Nick. He was a butcher by trade and also had one of the first “Italian” grocery stores here in Montreal.
It’s evident that food and family traditions are deeply intertwined in your memories, much like they are for many of us. The changes you’ve witnessed on Arthur Avenue over the years are a testament to the evolving nature of neighborhoods and communities. Despite the transformations, the spirit of “The Avenue” lives on through stories like yours.
Thank you once again for sharing your story with us. It’s a reminder of the importance of cherishing our roots and the legacy of those who came before us.
God bless.
Sara
Just tried making these for the first time… wow, what a hit! Great recipe!
Maria
Thanks so much Sara! Glad you enjoyed them!