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1. Combine the flour and salt, sift them into a bowl and set aside. In a deep bowl, cream the lard and the sugar together by beating and mashing them against the sides of the bowl with the back of a large spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.
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2. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, then add the anise seed and anise extract.Beat in the flour mixture about ½ cup at a time.
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3. If the dough becomes too stiff to stir easily, incorporate the remaining flour mixture with your hands. Pat and shape the dough into two cylinders, each about 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap them in wax paper and refrigerate them for at least 1 hour.
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4. Preheat the oven to 350. With a pastry brush, spread 2 tablespoons of the softened butter evenly over two large baking sheets. Slice one cylinder of dough crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds.
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5. For each cookie, roll a slice between your palms until it forms a rope about 4 inches long and ¼ inch in diameter.Drape the rope into a loop on a buttered baking sheet and cross the ends so that the loop looks like a handwritten letter "l".
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6. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart to allow room for them to spread slightly. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are delicately browned. With a wide metal spatula, transfer them to wire racks.
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7. Let the baking sheets cool completely and spread them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Then cut, shape and bake the remaining cookies in the same fashion. In a tightly covered jar or box, the bizcochuelos can safely be kept for 2 to 3 weeks.
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