Have you found yourself looking at a cookbook and thinking, "What is anise, anyway?" Here's what you need to know when a recipe calls for this mystery ingredient.
What Is Anise and How Do I Bake With It?
Published on Oct. 17, 2018
Herbs and spices can be one of the secret ingredients that will make you a better cook, but they can also be pretty confusing. Every once in a while, you come across a spice that makes you question your entire culinary knowledge base. Like anise: What exactly is it, and can you substitute star anise or fennel if you don’t have any on hand? Find out! By the way, these are the common Indian spices all home cooks should know about.
What is Anise?
Anise (also called aniseed or sweet cumin) is the seed of the Pimpinella anisum plant. It belongs to the Apiaceae family, which also produces carrots, celery and parsley. While the plant’s leaves and roots are also edible, it’s most well-known for its small, brown seeds. They look very similar to fennel seeds, although they are significantly smaller.
The seeds can be used whole, or they can be ground into a powder. They have a sweet, fragrant aroma with a strong, licorice-like taste. It’s that strong flavor that makes anise a love-it-or-hate-it kind of spice. If you’ve ever tasted alcoholic beverages that contain ouzo, sambuca or pastis, you know what I mean! That flavor makes it very versatile, though, as it can be used in savory applications like baking breads or making savory Italian sausage, as well as for baking sweet cookies and cakes.
Are Anise and Fennel the Same Thing?
Anise is commonly confused with two very distinct ingredients: star anise and fennel. The first confusion comes from the similarity in name. Although star anise and aniseed share a common word, they couldn’t be more different. Star anise (Illicium verum) is the fruit of a small evergreen tree in the magnolia family. It’s most often used in Chinese five-spice and while it also has a licorice-like flavor, it’s intense and pungent when compared to aniseed.
Fennel, on the other hand, is often confused with anise because they have similar looking seeds. Like anise, fennel is also from the Apiaceae family, making it related to carrots, dill and anise. Fennel grows into an edible vegetable, and its fronds look almost exactly like dill. The seeds have a sweet, licorice flavor that’s more robust than anise. It’s also a popular component in sausage making, and it’s an integral ingredient in Chinese five-spice blends and chai teas.
How to Bake with Anise
Have some fun with anise’s licorice flavor by making our favorite icebox cookies. If you really want to let the flavor shine, lightly toast the whole aniseed before adding them to the cookie mix. Or, play around with ground anise with this biscotti recipe. If you have anise extract in the pantry, you can also try your hand at making homemade candy.
The Anise Recipes You Have to Try
Double-Drizzled BiscottiSemisweet and white chocolate drizzles give these biscotti a pretty look. The baking time is shorter than for some biscotti, so they're a little softer. —Cheryl Ludemann, Boonville, New York
Gingerbread with Fig-Walnut SauceI experimented with aniseed this past holiday season and fell in love with the licorice flavor. It really enhances the gingerbread spices and fig sauce in this extraordinary cake. —Shelly Bevington-Fisher, Hermiston, Oregon
Cherry BiscochitosI discovered the wonderful anise flavor of biscochitos, which are traditional cookies of New Mexico. I created my own version with maraschino cherries and fresh cranberries. —Mary Shivers, Ada, Oklahoma
Grossmutter's PeppernutsBefore Christmas, my grandmother would bake peppernuts and store them until the big day. When we came home from school, the whole house would smell like anise and we knew the holiday season was about to begin. —Marilyn Kutzli, Clinton, Iowa
LebkuchenDense, chewy lebkuchen is a great addition to your Christmas-cookie routine, but you can make it any time of year. While most lebkuchen contains ginger, this is a ginger-free version that uses other spices and molasses to achieve a similar flavor.
Anise GumdropsWith their bright color and frosty sugared look, these homemade gumdrops are irresistible. They're softer than the store-bought kind and have tongue-tingling anise flavor. —Richard Bunt, Painted Post, New York
Licorice CaramelsFans of black licorice won't be able to stop eating these gooey caramels. I appreciate their ease of preparation. —Donna Higbee, Riverton, Utah
Wild Rice & Cranberry LoavesThis is an incredibly fragrant bread with lots of texture from wild rice and dried cranberries. It's hearty enough for sandwiches, but with a touch of honey, I could even eat this for dessert! —Barbara Miller, Oakdale, Minnesota
German Christmas CookiesLooking for a new holiday cookie to make this year? Our German Christmas cookies look like little snowballs and are full of holiday spice and flavor.
Anise & Wine CookiesMy grandmother did not speak English very well, but she knew the language of great food. These wine cookies are crisp and best eaten after being dunked in even more wine.—Julia Meyers, Scottsdale, Arizona
Mole PoblanoYou'll love this rich, thick mole sauce with it's authentic flavor. The result is well worth the prep. mdash; Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Easy BizcochitosBizcochitos, with their wonderful citrus and spice flavors, are special cookies we look forward to each year. It just isn't Christmas Eve at our house if we don't have these cookies with mugs of Mexican hot chocolate.
Plum Anise JamGrowing up, my father loved black licorice and all my siblings and I loved it as well. I still love the flavor of black licorice but can't eat the candy anymore for health reasons. This recipe reminds me of the flavor I loved as a child. The delicious jam tastes great with Brie or goat cheese and crackers. —Jill Grueninger, Mequon, Wisconsin
Glazed PfeffernuesseOur version of the classic German cookie is nice to have on hand throughout the holiday season. They stay fresh—and become more intense in flavor—when stored in an airtight container for weeks. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Sweet and Golden Easter BreadIt is an Italian tradition to make this sweet, golden braid at Easter. This family heirloom recipe came from my mother-in-law and was passed down to her from her mother. If you're not a fan of raisins, the bread is just as wonderful without them. —Kathi West, Canton, Michigan
Frosted Anise CookiesI love anise flavoring, and my nana loved sugar cookies, so I put them together. This anise cookie recipe has a soft, from-scratch texture. It’s hard to stop at just one! —Rachele Angeloni, North Providence, Rhode Island
Spiced CoffeeI’ve found that those who aren’t necessarily coffee fans often change their tune when they get a whiff of this chocolaty coffee drink. I like to serve
up a big batch at parties. —Joanne Holt, Bowling Green, Ohio
