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Recipes

When My Family Makes Anginetti Cookies, It Means It’s Christmas

Kelly Troop

I am a third-generation American, so my Italian culture doesn’t always have the significance I wish it had in my life. My grandmother never taught my mom or my aunt to speak Italian, and many of the traditions my great-grandparents brought from Italy got lost as time went on and my grandmother fully immersed herself in American life. However, one of the only traditions my family continues to practice is making anginetti cookies every Christmas.

Since I can remember, my grandmother would invite my sister and me down to her house to listen to stories of her childhood and bake cookies with her. Although the recipe is simple, we only make them once a year as a reminder of our Italian heritage and as a tribute to my great-grandparents. These cookies are light and sweet and will certainly be a unique addition to your holiday menu. Making these cookies is one of my favorite traditions, so below I have shared my family’s recipe in the hopes that others can indulge in a little Italian culture and maybe start their own tradition this Christmas.

Anginetti Cookies
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Anginetti Cookies

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 15 minutesTotal time: 45 minutesServings:30 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

  2. Cream butter with an electric or hand mixer. Add in sugar and eggs, then the anise/vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Then slowly add flour and mix until just combined. Knead the dough if necessary. Scoop teaspoon-sized cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet. Then, bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cookies are light brown on the bottom.

  3. As the cookies are cooling, mix the confectioner’s sugar, milk, or water, and anise flavor.

  4. When cooled, dip cookies into the glaze and dip into a bowl of rainbow sprinkles. Enjoy!

Kelly Troop
Kelly Troop is currently a National Writer for Spoon University and has written for them since January of 2023. Her article topics and interests range from restaurant guides and product reviews to interviews with food content creators and trending food news.

She is also in the process of taking over her university’s Spoon chapter at Bucknell. Outside of writing for Spoon University, Kelly is currently working toward her BA in Creative Writing from Bucknell, as well as a minor in Italian. She has worked in a number of different roles including a tour guide on her college campus, a content writer for MoneyLion, a financial technology company, and is currently working in the alumni and development department at the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, N.Y.

In her free time, Kelly loves to read, cook, and play tennis with her friends and family. Her favorite genre is murder mystery, and she just finished reading The Da Vinci Code. Additionally, her favorite dish to make is homemade pasta with fresh pesto sauce. She is hardworking and diligent and is interested in a career of publishing, advertising, editorial, and/or marketing after she graduates college.