Easy Italian Breakfast Cookies with Anise

These Italian breakfast cookies, flavored with anise seeds, are perfect for dunking in coffee. Easy to make and ideal for a sweet morning treat!

I love traditional Italian breakfast cookies with a cold glass of milk or to dunk in my coffee… you know, the whole caffè latte e biscotti affair …is there anything better? 

I was privileged to visit family in Italy a few years ago.  I was not surprised that it was normal to have cookies for breakfast, whether homemade or store-bought.

However, I was truly blown away by the selection of commercial breakfast cookies in grocery stores. A glance at the nutritional information indicated that they were a “healthier” choice than most of the ultra-sweetened breakfast cookies in North America.

You may have guessed that I prefer baking simple but delicious cookies.

Yes, there is a time commitment, but personally, nothing is more satisfying and relaxing than baking. By far, biscotti recipes are my favorite. 

However, I’ve grown very fond of these simple Italian dunking cookies with anise seeds… let me show you how easy they are to make. 

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to make
• Tips
• Italian breakfast cookie variations
• FAQ
• Anise cookies we love
• Recipe inspiration
• More breakfast cookies
• Recipe

Ingredients

• Flour. All-purpose.
• Baking powder. This ingredient makes them nice and soft.
• Salt. Just a pinch.
• Anise seeds. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your preference.
• Lemon zest. A wonderful flavor enhancer.
• Eggs. A common ingredient in baking.
• Sugar. Just the right amount of sweetness.
• Oil. A neutral-tasting oil, vegetable, or canola.
• Milk. Any kind works well in this simple cookie recipe.

Using a stand mixer facilitates combining wet and dry ingredients. Use a large cookie scoop to ensure these Italian cookies are all the same size. This recipe’s only requirement is cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

How to make

Preheat the oven to 350℉/175°C. Position rack to middle.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium-sized bowl, sift or whisk together the all-purpose flour (5½ cups), baking powder (3 teaspoons), a pinch of salt, the anise seeds (2-4 tablespoons) and the zest of one lemon.

Set aside as we prepare the liquid ingredients.

In a stand mixer bowl, whisk 3 room temperature eggs for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the sugar (1⅓ cups) and whisk for a few more minutes or until the batter thickens slightly.

Add the vegetable oil (½ cup) and the milk (1½ cups) and whisk for 30 seconds.

Switch to the flat blade attachment. 

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The dough will be soft.

Once it is combined, it’s time to shape your cookies.

I like to use a large-sized ice cream scoop, about 4 tablespoons, to portion them onto a floured surface. I sprinkle a little sifted flour over the top and pat the dough into a 4 to 5-inch long “oval” shape, between ¼-½ inch thick, as pictured above.

With the help of a dough scraper, I transfer to the parchment-lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

As an option, you can brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned.

After thirteen minutes of baking, take a peek at the bottom. When they begin to brown slightly, your soft anise cookies are done. I usually have one batch in the oven while preparing another.

This is a pale-looking cookie (just like these S cookies). If you like, turn the broiler to give them a little color.

Tips

• Enhance the anise flavor. For a bolder anise flavor, feel free to add more anise seeds, toast them before adding to the dough, or incorporate anise extract or oil according to your taste.
• Any shape will do. If you prefer longer cookies, pat to 5-6 inches and flatten to ¼ – ½ inch before baking. You can shape as wide or narrow as you like – adjust the baking time accordingly. A dough scraper can help with shaping the cookies.
• This is a pale cookie. During the last minute or so, you can turn on the broiler to give these cookies a touch of color… make sure to keep an eye on them as they can easily burn.
• Make it healthier: For a healthier twist, try replacing a portion of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. This will add a bit of extra fiber and a slight nuttiness to the flavor without compromising the light, spongy texture.

Italian breakfast cookie variations

• Substitute the lemon zest with vanilla extract.
• For a floral flavor, replace the vegetable oil with olive oil.
• Replace anise seeds with anise extract. 
• Before baking, brush the tops with milk and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar for an extra touch of sweetness.

FAQ

Anise cookies we love

Recipe inspiration

Over ten years ago, while I was working, I bumped into a colleague I hadn’t seen in a while. Inevitably, the two of us always talk about food, which is naturally one of my favorite topics.

She told me she wanted to share another one of her family’s recipes with me (If you recall, Fabiana was the one who shared her mom’s recipe for Italian Easter Sweet Bread).

I had already made two batches within a week of receiving the recipe.

Yes, they are that good!

The second time I made them, I decided to replace a quarter of the flour with whole wheat flour… delicious. 

I’m sure this authentic Italian recipe for anise-flavored breakfast cookies will quickly become one of your favorites, too.

Grazie, Fabiana, for sharing this wonderful recipe! ♥

★★★★★ If you have made these traditional Italian breakfast cookies, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

More breakfast cookies

Recipe

This post was originally published on April 8, 2017, republished on April 13, 2019, on April 15, 2021 and again on August 30, 2024 with updated content and photos. Thanks for watching and sharing!