To celebrate the Christmas Season, my friend from way back in middle school (junior high to us) and I went to a new Italian Bakery to get together, catch up on the latest news, and exchange gifts.
The selection of Italian cookies, ricotta cakes, cheesecake and pastry were calling our names! We had a light lunch of aranicini rice balls (risotto balls) and a not so light desert of Tiramisu. The Aranicini had a filling of meat, peas, rice and marinara sauce! Delicious !
I decided to go home and bake up my own version of a batch of those anisette cookies, and packaged them up to send off to my brother in upstate New York. He misses these Italian Bakeries back home in Connecticut.
The Anisette Coconut Cookies came out delicious!
Anisette Chocolate Chip Coconut Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
1 box (18.25 oz) Yellow or White Cake Mix (I have picked up several from Aldi or Walmart)
2 eggs
1/3 to 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c Shredded Coconut Flakes
1 tsp Anise
White or Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
Mix eggs, oil, coconut, anise and cake mix ingredients together with a wooden spoon
Mix in chocolate chips additions
Form dough into 1 inch balls
Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheet
Bake 9-13 minutes. (I found 10 minutes to be good for my oven, I like the cookies somewhat browned, but still chewy. I eyeball for doneness.
Remove and let cool completely.
Can be frozen.