Yield: 50

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup butter
-1+1/4 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons vanilla
-6 teaspoons anise seeds
-5 eggs
-4 cups flour
-4 teaspoons baking powder
-1 cup chopped almonds 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Gradually add the vanilla and eggs while mixing. Sift together the flour and baking powder; stir into the egg mixture. Stir in the anise seeds. Add almonds if desired.

Now, grab the dough with your hands and separate it into two halves. Roll them both into two log shaped pieces and place them parallel onto your baking pan which should be covered in foil (to prevent sticking). With your hands, spread out the dough until it’s flat, but make sure all the edges are nice and well rounded.

Place them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until they are a light golden color.

When you take it out, use a sharp serrated knife and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces.

Flip them on their side, and place them back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes (depending on how hard you want them to be). If you will be using them for dipping in tea/coffee, wait a longer time, until they are a light golden brown color.