Aunty Maria’s aniseed biscuits

• By Christa Follmann

You will need:

three eggs, 250g of sugar, 250g of flour, two teaspoonfuls of ground aniseed, and a book to read while you’re waiting.

Using an electric whisk, whisk together the eggs and sugar for at least 60 minutes (hence the book). Don’t try to shorten this time because you won’t get the right result. Then gradually stir in the flour and the ground aniseed powder and blend them together until the mixture is smooth and firm. Place teaspoonfuls of this mixture on sheets of baking-paper on baking-trays, leaving a good amount of space between each one since the mixture spreads. Leave these trays to stand overnight in a warm place where there is no draught. The following morning, bake them at gas mark 4/180C for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits have begun to rise and the bottom has browned slightly. Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool, and then store them in an airtight container. These biscuits may become quite hard but will soften again after two to three weeks stored in a tin. They can easily be prepared four weeks before serving.