My mother in law has a polish name for these but my husband and brothers always just called them "Polish Christmas Cookies". They are very easy to make and have a nice anise flavor to them.
INGREDIENTS (for 7 servings):
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 cups white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 ounce anise extract
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream the butter, shortening and the sugar together. Stir in the eggs and continue to beat. Add the anise flavoring. Stir in 7 cups of the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Mix until the dough is soft. Add the additional cup of flour if needed. Chill the dough.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough and cut with cookie cutters. Place cookies on greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Frost and decorate when cookies are cooled.