1.  First make tea by boiling 3 broken up sticks of cinnamon with one package of anise seeds and about 2 cups of water.   Boil until the tea is rather thick and about 1 and 1/2 cups of tea remain.   Strain and measure 1 1/2 cups of the tea to set aside.

2.  Using an extra large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, and 3 teaspoons of baking powder.   Then add Crisco little by little by kneading together with your hands to make it smooth.

3.  Add the tea to your dry ingredients and continue to blend together with your hands until smooth.  

4.  Roll dough between 2 sheets of wax paper, cut out cookies (use extra small cookie cutters) and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

5.  As cookies come out of the oven, immediately oput them into a power mix of sugar and cinnamon, shake off excess.

For a smaller batch you can use these amounts:

2 pounds of flour (6 cups)

1 pound shortening (2 1/2 cups)

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

(Tea - same as above but use about 1/2 cup of it)

These cookies are traditionally served at spanish weddings (along with wedding cake) and they are very popular at Christmas and Easter as well.  This is my motherinlaw Raquel Saenz'  recipe - she is 87 years old and still makes these -- she told me she wants as many people in the world to have the recipe as possible so the tradition will continue!!!!!!

One of the most interesting aspects of cooking these cookies is to get the dough just right.   There is really no way to describe just how it has to be.   Part of the fun is to keep working at it until you can do it right.   When it's just right it's easy to roll, does not stick and feels "just right".  If you add the tea in little by little you will come out just right.   The tea itself should be real thick and rich -- I have gotten mine to come out great with very little problem.  

The dough can be refrigerated if you don't have time to bake all the cookies at once it's no problem.   This recipe is most fun to do if you have 3 or more people involved and make it into a party!