Italian Wine Cookies with Olive Oil and Anise Seeds
Crunchy Italian wine cookies made with olive oil and anise or fennel seeds. These not-too-sweet cookies are quick to make, use just 6 simple ingredients, and pair perfectly with coffee.
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour
- 130 g sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder (10 g)
- 1 tbsp anise seeds or fennel seeds (about 8 g), finely ground
- 200 ml red or white wine (about 175 g)
- 150 ml oil (100 g total) Use mild olive oil, if your olive oil is strong, mix with a neutral oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and ground anise or fennel seeds.
- Add the wine and oil and mix with a spoon just until a dough forms. Do not knead. If the dough feels too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water or wine.
- Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin log, about the thickness of an ‘OK’ sign (👌), roughly 2–3 cm in diameter.
- Cut into 1 cm pieces, keeping them as even as possible. Roll each piece into a short rope and connect the ends to form a small ring.
- Arrange on the prepared baking tray. If dipping in sugar, dip one side and place it sugar side up.
- Bake for 20 minutes, checking after about 15 minutes to make sure they are not browning too quickly. Each oven behaves differently.
- Lower the oven temperature to 130°C (265°F) and bake for another 30–35 minutes, until the cookies are dry and lightly colored.
- Cool completely before serving. If the cookies are still soft once cooled, return them to the oven for a few more minutes or as needed.
