Preheat your oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with foil, then lightly spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Measure out all your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda) into a small bowl and set aside. This prepares everything you need so you can focus on mixing without interruption once you start combining the wet ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, softened cannabutter, and sugar. Beat together for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process is crucial because it incorporates air into the dough, which helps the cookies spread evenly and bake with a tender crumb. I find that using room-temperature ingredients makes this step much easier and ensures better incorporation.

Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and the 1 tsp anise extract, mixing until fully combined. The room-temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly into the butter mixture, creating a homogeneous batter that will yield more consistent cookies.

Add the flour and baking soda mixture from Step 1 to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined and a cohesive dough forms. Be careful not to overmix once the flour is incorporated, as this can develop gluten and make the cookies tough rather than tender. The dough should be smooth and pliable, ready for shaping.

Roll the dough from Step 4 into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are light brown but the centers still look slightly underbaked—they'll continue to cook as they cool. I like to pull them out when they look just barely golden because they firm up perfectly as they cool and stay tender inside.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies cool, prepare the icing by whisking together the sifted powdered sugar, milk, and the 1/2 tsp anise extract until smooth and pourable. The icing should be thick enough to coat the cookies but thin enough to drip slightly—adjust milk as needed.

Once the cookies are completely cool, spoon the anise icing over each cookie, allowing it to drip down the sides. Add sprinkles immediately while the icing is still wet so they adhere properly. Let the icing set for 10-15 minutes before serving or storing.