Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk dry ingredients: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light and frothy. Add oil, vanilla, and anise extract (or lemon zest) and mix well.
- Form the dough: Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet until a soft, workable dough forms. Add a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Shape: Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a 4-inch rope and form loops, twists, or knots.
- Bake: Place shaped dough on the baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly golden. Tops should remain pale and soft.
- Cool and glaze: Allow cookies to cool on a rack. Mix powdered sugar, milk, and extract to make a glaze. Dip tops of cookies, then decorate with sprinkles.
- Set and store: Let glaze set completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5–7 days.
Notes
Anise or Lemon? Choose Your Flavor: Traditionally, Uncinetti are flavored with anise extract or lemon zest, and sometimes both.
Anise gives a warm, slightly spicy, licorice-like flavor loved in many Southern Italian sweets.
Lemon offers a fresh, bright taste that pairs beautifully with the light sugar glaze.
Don’t Overmix the Dough: The dough should be soft and slightly sticky—more like a thick batter than traditional cookie dough. Overmixing can make the cookies tough or dry.
Let the dough rest for 10–15 minutes before shaping if it feels too sticky to handle. Shape: Common shapes include rings, braids, figure-eight, knots, or small rounds Lightly flour your hands to make shaping easier but avoid adding too much flour or the cookies will dry out. The Glaze Goes on Warm Cookies: The simple sugar glaze (usually powdered sugar + milk or lemon juice) should go on warm or just cooled cookies. This helps it soak in slightly and set beautifully.
Let the dough rest for 10–15 minutes before shaping if it feels too sticky to handle. Shape: Common shapes include rings, braids, figure-eight, knots, or small rounds Lightly flour your hands to make shaping easier but avoid adding too much flour or the cookies will dry out. The Glaze Goes on Warm Cookies: The simple sugar glaze (usually powdered sugar + milk or lemon juice) should go on warm or just cooled cookies. This helps it soak in slightly and set beautifully.