This Nana isn’t the Nana I wrote about in Cherries in Winter, but someone else’s grandmother, who happened to be a terrific baker. These cookies are dense, crumbly classics.
Cookies:
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 drops anise (optional)
Cream the butter. Mix in sugar, then eggs, vanilla, milk, and anise (if desired). Sift flour and baking powder together and slowly add to the wet mixture. After mixing well, cover bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
Use a teaspoon (think small) of dough to make each cookie. Place on parchment paper-covered cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Icing:
1 box confectioner’s sugar
1 stick butter
3-4 Tablespoons milk
Cream the butter. Add sugar and milk. Stir until smooth. Let cookies cool completely before frosting and top with colored sprinkles, if desired.
