Cinnamon-Anise Crisps

A light sprinkling of cinnamon sugar adds crunch to these licorice-flavored slice-and-bake cookies. The high starch content of cake flour provides absorbency, so the cookies are less likely to spread while baking.

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  cake flour (about 6 ounces)
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  ground cinnamon, divided
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  aniseed, crushed
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3/4  cup  sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 1  tablespoon  fresh orange juice
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  large egg
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  sugar

Preparation

Lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder, crushed aniseed, and salt, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Place 3/4 cup sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add juice, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into 2 (6-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Freeze 1 hour or until very firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Unwrap dough logs. Cut each dough log into 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices; place slices 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over dough slices. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

72 (28% from fat)

Fat:

2.2g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

0.9g

Carbohydrate:

12.3g

Fiber:

0.2g

Cholesterol:

14mg

Iron:

0.6mg

Sodium:

61mg

Calcium:

16mg