Anise Cinnamon Sugar Cookies (Bizcochitos)

Gather the ingredients and preheat an oven to 300 F.

Generously grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Cream the butter or lard and 3/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

Crush the aniseeds in a mortar and pestle or use the back of a small, but heavy frying pan.

Add the crushed aniseed, egg, and brandy to the creamed mixture and combine thoroughly.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine—avoid overworking the dough once you've added the dry ingredients to keep the cookies nice and tender.

Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a 1-inch-thick disk.

Wrap the two disks of dough in plastic and chill them for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Set this mixture near a clean work surface where you will roll out the cookie dough.

Working with 1 disk of dough at a time, use plenty of flour to roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick.

Use cookie cutters or a sharp paring knife to cut the rolled out dough into shapes.

Dip each resulting cookie in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and put the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer them to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Serve and enjoy! Store the bizcochitos in tins for up to a week.