Anise Extract Substitution

Though I don't know what region you live in, I am surprised you are having difficulty finding anise extract.  Especially this time of year, the extract is used in a lot of holiday baking.  I have always just bought mine at the local grocery store, but perhaps if you have an Italian grocery in your area, that might be worth checking out.  I do see recipes online for homemade extract, but I can't vouch for them myself.  Good luck.

Isn't the anise extract actually a substitute for anise seeds???

What is it you need it for.  I make a xmas sweet bread that uses anise seeds added to the milk when you heat it.  It leaves a heavenly smell that for me is the smell of christmas. 

I guess it depends on how much dough you're making.  For two loaves of sweet bread i use about a teaspoon - teaspoon and a half.  The question is how to extract the flavor. In the bread, since you;'re supposed to heat the milk, i heat it with the seeds, pressing them with the back of a spoon to the pot to make them release more flavor.  It gives a subtle taste of anise.  But you may not want the seeds to show in the cookies.  You could probably squash them with a mortar and pestle, or even (or also) put them in with the butter when you cream the butter (provided the recipe calls for creaming the butter and sugar, etc).  If you use a mixer the paddle will squash them a little against the bowl.  Look up springerle cookies, which i believe use anise seeds, and see how much they say to add.  That will be a good indication. 

I'd say a teaspoon should be enough.  It depends if there are other spices in the cookies.  Personally, i think flavorings are usually overdone, so i'd go subtle.  Taste the dough then you can always add more. 

I'm thinking that if you don't want the seeds in the final product, and you are heating the milk with the seeds in it, go ahead and strain the milk through cheesecloth, before you add it to the dough.  However, I am a beginning cook, so please take that into consideration.  I could be screwing up.

Nadeest, usually cookies don't use warm milk - that's for the bread, and the seeds don't disturb the bread.  But a cookie is smaller so the seeds may be felt as annoying.  But they can be ground up with a mortar.

Bond,

You can make your own:  (off net)

"Anise Extract:
For anise extract, fill a 1/2 pint canning jar with whole star anise ( your local grocery should should have this in the spice department ). Fill with vodka, leave indefinitely. Star anise also stores well in sugar to make anise flavored sugar."
 

Petals.

Thank you, Siduri, for straightening me out.  Petals, ty for telling us that, I hadn't known.