Nonni's Anise Flavored Christmas Cookies

Every Christmas for 30+ years I was the benefactor of my mother in-law's generosity.  Shes's a great cook. Her Italian recipes are so delicious you can't begin to improve on them.  One of those recipes is some sort of 'Biscotti' cookie. The first time I tasted I had to ask 'what's that flavor?" I had tasted it before, but never in this combination. It was something called Anise.

It Tasted Like Licorice, Which I Hate

But for some reason, this was different. I liked it. It wasn't as overpowering as licorice. It was smooth and a bit refreshing. Research showed that it had medicinal value. It was also used as a fragrance. So every year I sat back, ate as many as I could, and was thankful for them.

Buttery Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Cookies Recipe

I was trying to figure out something I could do to use up the big box of Quaker Oats that I knew I'd never eat bowl by bowl.  It's not that I don't like oatmeal, because I do.  As a matter of fact, I prefer it over all the Sugar Smacks, Count Chocola, and other kid cereals that somehow find their way into my pantry. I just didn't want it to go to waste, since it had probably originally came out of my pocket, and my idea.
     Ok.. maybe I was just looking for something sweet to eat that I could say was semi-healthy in some way and I knew oatmeal lowers your cholesterol. Maybe I could convince Cheryl that all the butter and stuff was being offset by the fibery goodness of the oatmeal. Fat Chance.