I have a long love affair with black licorice, it’s one of the first candies I remember eating as a child. It is in my blood…a flavor profile I was gifted from my dad’s side of the family, and I feel blessed to love the deep, dark, earthy, and polarizing taste. You either love it or have powerful feelings against it. Either way, the molasses and star anise in the Lakritssnittar: Black Licorice Strips make a perfect union that might make this black licorice a crowd-pleaser.
If you are on the fence, try Lakritssnittar: Black Licorice Strips from the beautiful “Scandinavian From Scratch” by, Nichole Accettola, I would make a small wager you might surprise yourself.
Why I Love Lakritssnittar: Black Licorice Strips Recipe
Take a chewy molasses cookie, add a warming spice of star anise, and stud it with black licorice and my limited Scandinavian blood couldn’t be happier. It also comes together quickly, is not your usual cookie fare, and makes a unique offering to the cookie table.
Things You Need From Your Pantry
- AP Flour
- Molasses
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter
- Kosher salt
- Baking soda
Things You May Need To Grab From The Store
- Ground star anise (you can also grind your own from whole)
- Licorice powder (specialty item found in health food stores or online)
- Black licorice (get a good one like Panda or Wallaby)
Lakritssnittar: Black Licorice Strips
Course: DessertCuisine: ScandinavianDifficulty: Easy32
cookies40
minutes16
minutesThis is a chewy molasses cookie, add a warming spice of star anise, and stud it with black licorice.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp ground star anise (from about 3 pods)
1 teaspoon licorice powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz sweet black licorice, cut into small rounds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed, until the sugar dissolves, and the mixture is light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add in the molasses and mix to combine.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, star anise, and licorice powder. Add to the molasses mixture. Combine on low speed just until the dough comes together and you can no longer see the flour, no more than 1 minute.
- Dust your counter with flour and turn the dough out. Divide into 4 equal portions. Roll each into a 12-inch long log and place two on each cookie sheet leaving a 3-inch space between. Scatter the cut licorice over the top of each log and gently press down into the dough, (wetting your hands slightly will keep the licorice from sticking to your hands). Chill for 30 minutes.
- Bake one sheet at a time, arranging the oven racks in the middle setting. Place one sheet in the oven and cook for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees, and bake for another 8-10 minutes. The cookies will have darkened slightly around the edges, spread and the top will be shiny and cracked.
- Remove the pan to a cooling rack for a minute. While the cookies are still warm, slide the parchment off the hot pan onto a cutting board. Cut each log into 8-16 pieces, each strip about 1 1/2 inches wide. Enjoy!
