One of these recipes is "The" one....but I don't remember which. I think it's the first....but am posting the second just in case...I( think the first recipe is "The" one.
I like real anise seed rather than extract...but there is extract in my cupboard?
Here's one!

Anise Drops
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp anise seeds
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar for 10 minutes ( I cheat!!) .
Mix flour and baking powder. add vanilla and anist to egg mix and stir in
flour. Drop by teaspoonsful on a greased cookie sheet and let stand at room
temperature over night. Bake at 350 until beige. Makes about 70.

And here's the other:
Anise Cookies
==============
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 c plus 2 T sugar
1 3/4 c unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t anise extract
Grease and flour three cookie sheets.
In large bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, beat eggs until very thick and light.
Gradually beat in sugar.
Continue beating 20 minutes longer.
At low speed, beat in flour, baking powder, salt; beat 1 minute.
Add anise extract; beat just until blended.
Drop by teaspoonfuls, 1/2 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets. Swirl each, to make into a circle.
Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Bake cookies about 10 minutes, or until smooth and firm when pressed with fingertip.
Cool cookies on wire rack. Then store in airtight container.
Makes about 5 dozen.

Thanks Linda! I've never had anise seed in my pantry but I bought some for Ken for a fish recipe that he's going to make - and that's what made me remember Grandma's cookie. It will probably be close to Christmas before I make them, but I'll let you know how they are!

Try some of that anise seed in your meatballs sometime!

Or in your rye bread!

I have a pfeffernusse cookie that I have had since 1958 when I lived in Germany. I was so young...I have no idea about its' origins; but I bake it every year (almost). It is "different"... and "anise". I remember that for many years I had my "anise" flavoring in a unique corked bottle from the local (German) druggest. Our extract is not quite the same, but it works. This is a powdered sugar coated cookie, so I know it is not what you are looking for, but it is a nice anise flavored cookie.

Pfeffernusse Cookies

Cream together .........1 ½ C Margerine, l ½ C Sugar
Beat in.................½ C Molasses
Add to the Butter mix...¼ C Brandy (or milk)1 tea vanilla, 8 drops of anise oil. (A tsp of extract)

Sift together ..........5½ C flour
l tea Baking Powder
½ tea Baking soda
2 tea cinnamon
½ tea each cloves and black pepper

Combine ingredients together. Line a 13x9 pan with parchment or wax paper. Press (the original said pound)
dough into pan. Refrigerate overnight (or longer)Remove
pan & paper. Cut into strips 1½" wide. Slice ¼" thick. Place on cookie sheet and bake 350 for about 10 min. Coat cookies in powdered sugar. Store in air tight container. They are best if aged a week or two. This does make many cookies and you will find that changing the thickness of the slices changes the flavor a bit.

Sounds lovely....I woulder if I could halve the recipe?
Linda C

I have never halved the recipe, can't imagine why not. I have often treated it as an "icebox" cookie, only baking part and freezing the rest for a later baking.

Thanks for the Pfeffernusse recipe, Nanny. I am a fan of those also and haven't ever made them and haven't even thought of them for years - I look forward to trying them this year - and it will make my Dad happy :)

I have a recipe from my ancient german cookbook. Unfortunately these receipes are all in metric proportions. I use a kitchen
scale when I make anything from this book.. The Anise has to be chopped or ground in this.

300 grams flour
250 grams sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp ground anise (Blender ?)

This is an old receipe, it says to beat the eggs and sugar for ONE HOUR, or for 10 minutes if you are lucky enough to have an electric mixer. ( No wonder modern women are out of shape!)
Blend in the sifted flour and chopped Anise, drop cookies with a teaspoon onto a greased and floured baking sheet and let dry overnight. When they have a smooth skin, bake until very lightly browned. It does not give an oven temperature, this book actually tells you how to test your oven by timing how long it takes to brown a piece of paper.

Anise and Fennel were recommended for babies, as the spices are believed to soothe teething pain and colic.
Here is another receipe from the book:

Anise biscuits for small children
3 eggs
200 grams flour
200 grams cornstarch
200 grams sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla ( this actually calls for vanilla sugar, made by storing a split vanilla bean in a jar of sugar.)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground anise

beat eggs and sugar
sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and anise, add to eggs along with vanilla

you will get a stiff dough to roll out and cut with cookie cutters. After baking, keep the cookies in a tin for several days, until they soften.