Sesame Cookies

Everything about these Italian butter cookies is delightfully understated. The anise and sesame flavors are mild and delicate. A very mature, not-too-sweet cookie that goes great with coffee or tea. And if mature just isn't how you roll, I'm sure you can frost them a gruesomely nauseating shade of green and make them look like disembodied fingers for Halloween.

AUNT ANNE'S SESAME COOKIES

Yield: 4 ½ dozen

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons anise extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup raw sesame seeds

1.         Preheat oven to 350º F.

2.         In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and anise extract until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well incorporated. If you are using a stand mixer, let the dough mix for another minute to add lightness to the dough. The dough will be soft, but will hand roll easily.

3.         Pinch off pieces of dough slightly smaller than a walnut, and roll them into small logs. Roll in sesame seeds. Place cookies ½-inch apart on a cookie sheet (cookies will not spread very much).

4.         Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until bottom and sides of cookies are lightly toasted. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

barely adapted from Aunt Anne’s Sesame Cookies by DianeF at allrecipes.com

butter and sugar (evaporated cane juice)

butter & sugar creamed

adding anise extract

egg added

flour added

dough ready

I made mine about as long as my pointer finger.

rolling in sesame seeds

covered in sesame seeds

The original recipe called for dipping in milk first, but as
you can see, the sesame stick just fine without that step.
If you want to try making the dough ahead of time and
chilling, then you might need to dip the logs in milk first
because the dough probably wouldn't be as sticky.

ready to bake

baked

sesame cookie inside

stacked into a pyramid

.