Anise Stars

Ingredients

2 1/2 dl wheat flour
1/2 dl sugar (generous)
1 tsp freshly-ground anise (or 1 1/2 tsp powdered anise)
1/2 egg or 1 egg yolk
100 gr butter or margarine
1 dl icing (confectioner's) sugar
1 TBS water or anise liquor
1/2 tsp ground anise
red or green candy colouring
small ball-shaped candies, for garnish

Instructions

Mix together flour, sugar and anise. Add half an egg (or egg yolk), and butter in pieces. Stir the dough quickly into smooth paste. Wrap the dough in foil and let it harden in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll the dough into a thin (3 millimetres) round (or square). Use a star-shaped cookie-cutter (mold) to cut out cookies. Transfer ready cookies onto a cookie sheet. Keep rolling the dough and cutting stars until all dough is used up. Bake the cookies in a 200C (approx. 415 F.) for 6 - 8 minutes until golden brown. Cool them an the cookie sheet. Mix together icing sugar, water (or liqueur) until smooth. (Colour the frosting green or red). Frost the cookies and garnish them with miniature candies, if desired. Let the frosting stiffen completely before transferring cookies into jar or cookie tin.