Mexican Wedding Cakes

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Have a cookie sheets ready. Put nuts, confectioners' sugar and anise seeds in a food processor, Process until finely ground. (Don't overprocess or you'll have a paste.) Add butter and vanilla and process until smooth. Add flour; process just until blended. With lightly floured hands, roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a thick log. Cut log in 8 equal pieces. Roll each into a 12" rope. Cut each rope in 8 pieces. Roll some pieces into balls, others into crescents. Place about 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 16 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Cool on sheets on wire racks 15 minutes. Gently (they're very fragile) transfer to a sheet of waxed paper and dust warm cookies with confectioners' sugar. Let cool completely. To decorate: Spoon red or green frosting into ziplock bag, snip off 1 corner and pipe a squiggle on each cookie. Storage tip: Refrigerate airtight (undecorated) with waxed paper between layers up to 1 month. Decorate before serving.