Anise Drops

The holidays always leave me nostalgic for sweets of old, especially a crisp, button-shaped cookie with a sugar cap named the "Anise Drop". My Grandma passed some years ago, and with her the knowledge of how to successfully create this cookie. My Father & Uncles have "fond" memories of these cookies, and detail eating them out of sealed tins months after Christmas.  They recall the drops were like rocks. 

Grandma's Anise Drop Recipe

As a family, we have been battling to recreate her recipe, with little success. My Grandma was a practical woman, believing in common sense. This common sense has transferred over to her recorded recipes, each one assuming that the reader would hold her same level of common sense. This is not the case. Our cookies just wouldn't turn out. Not at all. 

This year, the bug bit & a new quest started, on a whim, I Googled "Anise Drop" and was directed to a recipe from the blog All Through The Year Cheer & adapted it to be gluten free, as follows:

Gluten-Free Anise Drop Cookies

*We Doubled the batch, and our yield was 32, 2" cookies

2 eggs

1 c sugar

1 Cup Bob's Redmill Gluten Free Flour Mix  plus 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum *Regular Flour may be used, or a gluten free mix already containing Xanthan Gum in equal parts.

4 tsp anise seed 

2 tsp lemon zest

Pinch salt

Butter, to liberally grease the baking sheet *Liberally is an understatement. We recommend using parchment or aluminum foil liners, in addition to the grease.

Cream together the egg, sugar, and anise oil until light and fluffy- you will beat them longer than you think you need to, probably for about 10 minutes. Please use a mixer, unless you have fore-arms of STEEL. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, anise seed, lemon zest, and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet one spoonful at a time. Our dough had the consistency of warm marshmallow fluff or really thick carmel. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, 1-inch apart. (We are going to use a piping bag for our next batch, in attempts to get a smaller, neater cookie) Let stand AT LEAST 12 hours or overnight (dough will harden). Bake at 300F for 20-25 minutes until the cookies are puffed and look like mushroom caps, and the bottoms are lightly golden. Allow to cool completely to release from cookie sheets. Store in an air-tight container. Enjoy :)

The recipe at All Through The Year Cheer provided just enough guidance that we feel confidant in approaching Grandma's recipe, next time. Here's Ours, aren't they pretty?

Anise Drops, So, So yummy :)

Agave Nectar

A friend of mine (while drinking) offered a brilliant solution to Vegans who want to be ethical in their use of sweetners. AGAVE NECTAR. The nectar of the gods (or the Agave Plant). The source of so many amazing and wonderful and amazing things... namely Tequila, Mezcal and Agave Nectar.

(Image Links to Source)

Agave Nectar is primarily sources from the Blue Agave plant. Much like maple syrup, it is filtered and heated after extracted from the central core (or pina). More information on the distillation process can be found at allaboutagave.com.
BUT the big question is... how does one use agave nectar?

For the answer, I googled, and stumbled upon Altered Plates- a blog dedicated to those with dietary restrictions, ESPECIALLY "the use of agave nectar instead of other sweeteners." JACKPOT! I pulled up
Deb's recipe for Oatmeal Cookies using Agave Nectar, following her link to the original (non-subbed) recipe at Simply Recipes .

I, of course, made my own substitutions, and the result was a chewy, cake-like cookie, low if fat, high in fiber, packing protein, low on the GI scale, and packed full of potassi-YUM!

Bananagave Oatmeal Chewies

WET:

1 Cup mashed Banana (2 medium)

2 TBS veg. oil

1 1/2 cups agave nectar

2 TBS Black strap Molasses

2 Large Eggs, Well Beaten (to make vegan, use a Flax-seed Substitute!)

1 TBS vanilla extract

DRY:

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1/4 cup finely ground Flax Seeds

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

Nutmeg and Cinnamon to taste

3 Cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

YUMMY STUFF:

3.5 oz chocolate bar of your choice (I used an 80% dark bar)

3/4 cup almond pieces

1.Mix all wet ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, combine and mix all dry ingredients.

3. Make a well in the center of mixed dry ingredients, Pour in wet stuff. Stir until well combined. (Batter will be fairly runny, do not be alarmed.)

4. SMASH UP chocolate bar (see below)

5. Fold in Chocolate chunks and Almond pieces. Refrigerate.

6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

7. Spray or lightly oil cookie sheet of muffin tin.

8. Portion 1 TBS sized blops of chilled batter onto cookie sheet or into muffin cups. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until batter sets. Remove from hot pan IMMEDIATELY and place on wax paper or cooling rack to cool.

9. ENJOY!

(Makes 36 + chewies! Leftovers freeze well, but I doubt you will have Leftovers.)