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A little bit of patience and a lot of sprinkles will get you the most memorable Christmas experience when you whip up a batch of myNana’s Anise Pierniki!
This is the one folks. The recipe I’ve been most excited to share with you this week.
These are my absolute very favorite Christmas cookies of all time. They’re so simple, and they’re nothing too fancy to look at, but they hold so much meaning to me that even as a food blogger (who has to fancy things up to keep her OCD in check,) I couldn’t bear to present them any other way than how I made them with my Nana.
I may have taken some liberties with my sprinkle ratio, however (she tended to be a little less heavy-handed.)
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
If you love traditional Christmas cookies, and you enjoya bit of anise (some would describe it as a mild licorice flavor – think a mild Ouzo or Sambuca,) then please bake up a batch of these for your family and friends and neighbors and co-workers and mailman and Santa.
They’ll first seethe beauty of a cutout cookie, then be surprised at the crispy texture and delicate flavors of this Polish classic.
After some research, I couldn’t really find the technical name for these, nor did I find any recipe exactly like it (there are actually 2 recipes for pierniki in the cookbook that are nothing like this.) All Iknow is that they’re “Stella’s” Christmas Cookies, and every year come holiday time,I helped Nana bake and decorate them.
Whoever Stella was, I’m grateful that she passed this recipe along.
My Nana was an incredible woman. She went from 20-something wife, mother, and homemaker to factory worker during World War II to make ends meet. In her 70s, I came along and she did it again – raising me solo from baby to 21 on her Social Security check and credit cards.
Much different time, the 80s-90s were, but still.
Her favorite place was in the kitchen, cooking meals and surprising the family with her cookies and cakes – many of which arefound in her cookbook that is now a regular part of my kitchen adventures.
This year marks my third Christmas as a blogger, and I’ve meant to share these every.single.year.
Why did it take me this long? No idea. I make them annually and have had plenty of chances to shoot them.
They’re cookies I share with everyone I know – I always make a double or triple-batch just to have enough to spread Nana’s spirit through as many people as I can.
So why have I held out on sharing the Christmas cookie recipe with you, my favorite faceless internet friends?
Not that it matters, because they’re here, and now anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of trying one can make a whole batch to eat all by themselves by the light of their twinkling Christmas lights share with the ones they love.
I guessI’m now passing Nana’s spirit on to a much bigger audience – the world – through a very special Christmas cookies recipe.
I think she’d love that.
Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. I love you guys.
- Nana’s Russian Tea Cakes (AKA “Nut Balls”)
- Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lofthouse-Style Soft Sugar Cookies with Frosting
- Bakery Style Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Nana’s Anise Pierniki (Polish Christmas Cookies)
A little bit of patience and a lot of sprinkles will get you the most memorable Christmas experience when you whip up a batch of my Nana’s Anise Pierniki!
4.54 from 91 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Polish
Keyword: pierniki, polish christmas cookies
Prep Time: 1 hour hour
Cook Time: 7 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 7 minutes minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 93kcal
Author: Erica
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon anise extract or oil
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, ~3 minutes. Add anise, egg yolk, and milk, beating to combine. In a separate bowl, sift baking powder and salt into flour, then add to wet ingredients, mixing until incorporated. Dough will be sticky but thick.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-24 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon liners. Set up a station with flour, rolling pin, cookie cutters, and prepared baking sheets.
Flour your workstation moderately, as well as your hands. Take half of the dough and dust it with flour, knead it into a ball, then roll it out as thinly as possible (or as desired,) dusting with flour sparingly but as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to baking sheets, leaving a bit of space between each cookie (they don’t spread much at all.)
Bake for 7-10 minutes, until edges are barely golden (these are very pale finished cookies.*) Remove from oven and cool on pans for 3-4 minutes, then remove to cooling rack with a metal spatula.
Return scraps to bowl and repeat the steps with the remaining cold ball of dough. Repeat a third time with scraps from first two rounds, being sure not to overwork the dough or add too much flour to it as you work.**
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Combine ingredients in a small bowl and beat until a fluffy buttercream consistency is reached, adding milk or sugar as necessary (I like my frosting fluffy, but you may prefer it thinner.)
Gently spread frosting on each cookie and decorate with sprinkles as desired. This is a fun project for little ones to help with! Allow cookies to dry overnight before packaging and storing.
Video
Notes
* These are very pale finished cookies, with only the edges being barely browned. I recommend testing a couple in your oven until you find the right amount of baking time. The cookbook calls for a 10 minute bake time, but my oven is near the 6-7 minute mark.
** It is important not to use too much flour on your work space, or to overwork the dough. It’s very sensitive, and can lead to altered taste if abused.
Nutrition
Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 25mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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DAY ONE | German Chocolate Cookie Cups
DAY TWO | Bakery Style Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
DAY THREE | Salted Caramel Coconut Biscotti
DAY FOUR |Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies
DAY FIVE |Nana’s Anise Pierniki (Polish Christmas Cookies)
