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12.05.2008

12 Days Of Cookies A Gourmet Cookie Extravaganza...Bizcochitos ( Anise Cookies)

On the 5th day of Christmas Glamah baked for me Bizcochitos(Anise Cookies),
Brown Butter Cookies,Chocolate Meringue Biscuits,Benne Wafers,and Navettes Sucrees.

Try saying that a few times. This cookie recipe was published in 1976.According to Gourmet .com "These New Mexican staples were the first state cookie in the U.S.They get their signature flavor from the combination of lard, whole wheat, and ground anise seed...".Upon further reading they seem to have a rich history. These are the cookies you bring out at weddings, baptisms, quinceaneras, etc. I have to admit this seemed like the most boring cookie of the bunch. I only choose it because A) I actually have lard in my freezer and B) I have a big ass bag of star anise which can be substituted for anise seed. 1 crushed star anise + 1/2 teaspoon of anise seed. So I got to work defrosting the lard and crushing the star anise. What is interesting in this recipe is the use of whole wheat flour and that's its a roll out /cut out cookie dough that's sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before baking. But you have to be patient with this cookie as it needs to age five days in an airtight container before serving. I guess to give the flavors a chance to mellow and the cookie an opportunity to harden. Everything about this recipe was good. No problems in mixing or baking. Don't be put off about not chilling the dough. I used waxed paper and a slightly floured surface. The shapes held perfectly.After 5 days of ageing the cookie is firm.The taste reminded me of a cross between Graham Cracker and a biscuit.Not bad, just different from all the buttery sweetness I have been baking.I even dressed them up a little with some glitter accents.So try this one for a change. You don't have to tell anyone there's lard in it but do build up the whole wheat aspect!

Be sure to check out my other baking friends as we make cookies from Gourmet's favorite cookies from 1941-2008.

Jerry - http://www.cookingbytheseatofmypants.com/
Judy - http://www.nofearentertaining.blogspot.com/
Sandy - http://www.bakersbench.blogspot.com/
Kelly - http://sassandveracity.typepad.com/
Claire -
http://www.thebarefootkitchen.com/
Andrea -
http://www.andreasrecipes.com/

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18 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Those fragrant cookies must be delicious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Unknown said...

wowww anise cookies! a must try! i can imagine how good it must be

Judy@nofearentertaining said...

Those turned out great. Nice to see one that we have done become a success. Haven't seen much of that in the last day or so!!! I love the glotter accent on them!

Chou said...

I'm really intrigued by this combo. I've baked a fig anise bread before that was fabulous, these seem like they may have a similar flavor profile. I so wish I was doing this with you!

Sandy Smith said...

These look great! I'm glad you did them because I was really intrigued. I wanted to give them a go but didn't want to be stuck with the remainder of the package of lard. I'll live vicariously - yum!

~~louise~~ said...

They look great Courtney! I didn't know you could substitute star anise for anise. Thanks for that tidbit. You know how I feel about cut out cookies. I think you secretly made these for me:) Yum!

Anonymous said...

These sound very Italian to me! Or maybe it's just my way of convincing myself that I deserve a few of these with my morning caffe ;) Anyway...they look fab, girlfriend!
xox

Anonymous said...

Nice! A big ass bag of star anise, huh? hahahaha! These cookies caught my eye, but I sort of missed the part about aging for 5 days. Oops! That would have gotten me into another fix! Nice job on those, I can smell the star anise from here...I like the decorations, too!

Peter M said...

They remind me of gingerbread men and cookies.....anise & star anise rule!

Anonymous said...

Wow.. Courtney. You're doing 12 straight days of cookies!?
This is cookipalooza.. The world series... The Olympics of Cookiedom!!!

It all looks great my dear, do not hesitate to send the leftovers this way. :-)

Christine said...

Oh, yummness! My mom and I make bizcochos every Christmas. She has a different recipe, but it still has aniseed in it. It makes enough for quite a few gifts and cookies to last until after New Year's!

Dagmar said...

I admire that you have the energy and time to bake all these delicious cookies every day, and then blog about them!

Anonymous said...

So sweet! I love how pretty they are, and they do sound like a nice break from the super-sugar-rush. Adding these to the list too!

Anonymous said...

Keep these delicious-looking & delicious-sounding cookies coming!

Paz

Unknown said...

mmm i love star anise... lovely biscuits you've got there.

Andrea Meyers said...

I totally missed these in the lineup. They do look amazing, love the glittery effect.

Nina Timm said...

one question - how many of these cookies are packed as gifts and how many are gobbled up!!!

Ivy said...

I am curious as well. What do you do with all these lovely cookies. Do you want my address?