These aniseed cookies remind me of my childhood. We always used to bake them in early December before all the Christmas buzz kicked off.

I remember that we got the recipe from a Portuguese friend who also used to cut my hair when I was little. 

The cookies have just the right crumbly and soft texture with a hint of warming spices. 

Happy Baking!

Ingredients

500g flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 sachet of dried yeast

200g sugar

250g butter (softened)

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp aniseed

~ 250ml milk (lukewarm)

Salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175° (fan) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients apart from the milk together using an electric mixer.

3. Slowly add some milk until you get a dough that you can easily shape into balls. You might not need 250ml. 

4. Form the dough into small balls using a tablespoon.

5. Place the balls onto the baking tray, leaving enough space in between to allow for spreading.

6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. 

7. Leave to cool on a wire rack.