Granma's Anisplätzchen (Anise drops)

Ingredients [metric]

• 1 1/4 c 4x sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 c flour
• 2 tsp anise seeds

Directions

The night before: Beat sugar and eggs until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. The egg-sugar mixture will have doubled in volume. The air in this mixture will provide the leavening.

Sift together cinnamon and flour. Slowly fold flour into eggs by hand in four or five additions, until the dough is uniform, with no streaks of flour. It will be a very thick batter or loose dough.

Grease two cookie sheets, and sprinkle the sheets with anise seeds. The more seeds, the stronger the anise flavor. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets; the cookies will be about 1 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch, and will spread.

Cover with a clean cloth and let stand overnight (or two), unrefrigerated (really). This period of sitting out will give the cookies their "feet" and "icing."

The next morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake until the tops just begin to get a hint of brown, 10 to 12 minutes.