| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 2 to 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookies |
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, fennel seed, and salt in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the flour and mix just until blended.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into an 8-inch-long log. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line heavy large baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Press the pine nuts decoratively atop the cookies. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 73 |
| Total Fat | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 14 mg |
| Sodium | 22 mg |
Reviews
Made this yesterday, and it is a keeper. Almond paste is not needed, a plus. I added almond extract and orange zest which I will do again. Dipped and Pushed in several pine nuts. Baked 10-11 min. Perfect
Delicious and light, even with all the butter. Loved how easy it was.
The best and favorite at a family retreat
I love how buttery these cookies are. They have nice smell from fennel seeds. Even though I chilled them before putting in the oven, they spread a little in the oven and created thin edges.
These cookies have become a regular in my cookie gift platter. I saw Giada make them awhile back and my mother asked me to make them for her. We both loved them. She is gone now but I’d like to think that up in Heaven she is enjoying them still. So thank you Giada, they are wonderful.
Perfection. It’s a sugar-cookie-textured version of biscotti (fennel in these is the anise flavor in biscotti. My oven temperature is exact; I baked mine 12 minutes because I like my cookies a little less brown and a little less crunchy than many recipes suggest.
I made these cookies twice in one week! The first time I made them, there was hardly any dough. Also noted that the stated bake time was about 5 too long after I didn’t watch them closely enough… the first batch was a little dark. Second batch went in for 10 min and turned out very pretty. The second time I made this recipe I made some adjustments: double the recipe (& you can always freeze any extra dough, as noted by another reviewer add a little more ground fennel seed to the mix; bake for 10 min.— AND keep an eye on the cookies while they are in the oven.
They are not too sweet, and very light-tasting. Also, the fennel seed might sound a bit odd, but it really adds something different and delicious to these cookies! : Thanks, Giada.
They are not too sweet, and very light-tasting. Also, the fennel seed might sound a bit odd, but it really adds something different and delicious to these cookies! : Thanks, Giada.
Lovely
These are also my favorite cookies ever!! Not too sweet, easy to make, simple taste yet so nice!! The fennel is so subtle in it, just perfect! Thank you Giada! I am going to try to add some almond extract next time just to get another variety.
since pine nuts cookies are $22.00 per pound at my fave bakery, i love making these cookies when i’m in the mood for them….thank you for making it so easy to bake them….love them….