These are delicious cookies that go very well with coffee and tea. They keep well for a few weeks. You can use any kind of flavoring, such as vanilla or ground cardamom.
Makes 60 cookies
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground anise seeds
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces butter ( 1 stick), at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sesame seeds
1 egg for eggwash
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the flour in a bowl and add the dry ingredients and stir. Add the butter and oil to the flour and rub it in your hand to combine the oils. Add the milk and egg, and kneed it by hand to make soft dough.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Oil your hands to make it easy to form the dough. Take a piece of dough and roll it on a cutting board to make a rope. Bring the ends of the rope together to make a ring. Place on a baking sheet. Leave 1 inch space between the rings as they expand when baked.
Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds over the cookies. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cookies and place on a cooling rack. Store in a plastic container for a month.