Would you like an almond-based, dense, nutty, honey-flavored, lightly spiced, dark chocolate coated cookie? If you said yes, these traditional Italian Mostaccioli di Mamma cookies are a must for your Christmas holiday cookie platter.
This recipe was originally published on December 21, 2014 and republished on December 9, 2017 with updated content, photos and a video.
Mostaccioli
Mostaccioli are Christmas cookies which are extremely popular in southern Italy, particularly among Neapolitans. As is usually the case with regional Italian cooking, you will find endless variations. Today, I would like to share my version which I have called Mostaccioli di Mamma.
The whole process of making these cookies begins by grinding about one pound of almonds, skin on and not roasted. The texture we are looking for is coarsely ground. This will provide a cookie where fragments of almonds are visible.
We then need to incorporate these ground almonds with the dry ingredients which have been sifted together.
As far as the liquid ingredients are concerned, it is simply a question of slowly whipping up the ingredients together, one by one in your stand mixer. The addition of a pound of honey confirms that these are definitely a chocolaty honey cookie.
Here comes the fun part!
With the help of a large serving wooden spoon, transfer some dough on a well floured wooden board and roll out the dough to about 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. This is a soft dough to work with but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. If you are having a hard time, you can refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes. The dough will then be easier to roll as it gets a lot firmer.
These Mostaccioli di Mamma are definitively not your typical cookie. To begin with, they have a very distinct rhombus shape, so we are going to use a cookie cutter to guide us in order for the cookies to have the same shape.
Once they have baked and cooled, it is time for the icing.
Part of what makes these mostaccioli so irresistible is the combination of the dark chocolate coating, the spices and the honey. Make sure to use a high-quality chocolate as this will make a big difference in the overall quality of the cookie.
ORIGINS OF THE RECIPE FOR Mostaccioli:
I was extremely privileged to be raised in a family where Italian traditions, especially food traditions, were extremely important. As such, there was such a frenzy surrounding any holiday period… with Easter it was all about the fiadone and rice ricotta cakes; on Saint Joseph Day we had this special pasta and of course these Zeppole di San Giuseppe; and then, there was Christmas 🙂 (just click on the the word Christmas and you will be directed to the recipe index of Christmas recipes on this site).
Both my parents originated from the South of Italy. My mom’s birthplace was Molinare (Benevento) and my dad was from Ripabottoni (Campobasso) and so, you can well imagine all the wonderful food I grew up with. Naturally I had my favorites, which I will continue to document and share with all of you.
This recipe for Mostaccioli di Mamma would always be made by my mom at Christmas time. I have seen (and tried) many variations of Mostaccioli. To this day, this is still one of my favorite cookies.
Over the years, I have made a few really minor changes to the recipe. I increased both the amount of flour and orange juice which resulted in a softer textured cookie.
As far as the icing is concerned, my mom preferred a very simple chocolate glaze. I have taken to liberty to coat the entire mostaccioli cookie with dark chocolate.
I am quite confident that you would enjoy this traditional Italian Mostaccioli di Mamma cookies with a nice cup of coffee… or espresso, or tea, or milk, or just about any beverage!!!
I truly hope you enjoy making and eating this wonderful Southern Italian cookie.
Gotta go, the coffee is ready!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Mostaccioli recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Mostaccioli di Mamma
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour 780 grams
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder 2/3 cup
- 1 pound coarsely ground almond 3 1/2 cups
- 6 eggs extra large, room temperature
- 1 pound honey 1 1/3 cups, slight warmed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 2 oranges
- juice of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Good quality chocolate for glazing. I prefer a bittersweet chocolate...at least 70%
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Position rack in the center.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. (flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and cocoa).
- Add ground almonds and incorporate with the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs for 2-3 minutes.
- Add honey. Continue to whisk until well thickened.
- Add sugar. Beat well.
- Add orange zest, juice and extract.
- Switch to paddle attachment. Add flour mixture until just combined. (Dough will be soft and sticky).
- Working with dough in small batches, place on well-floured wooden board and roll out to 1/4 - 1/2" thick.
- With a rhombus-shaped cutter or with a knife cut dough (I use a 2-inch cutter).
- Place on cookie sheets.
- Continue until all the dough has been shaped. Leftover dough trimmings can be re-rolled.
- Bake at 350° F for about 15-18 minutes or until firm to touch.
- Let cool completely before glazing with chocolate.
Video
Notes
Can be stored in an airtight container, in a cool place for weeks. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.
Nutrition
Jennifer
Looking forward to making this recipe! Can I use roasted almonds, it is what I have on hand. Thanks!
Maria
I’ve never tried with roasted almonds… it should be okay, as long as they are not salted or smoked. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Jennifer
Oh my gosh these are delicious!! I made with Trader Joe’s roasted unsalted almonds, what I had on hand, and dipped in Trader Joe’s dark chocolate……amazing! This makes a lot of dough, I froze part of it to bake off later in week. I hope freezing dough is ok?
Maria
Yes it should be fine. I would probably thaw overnight in the fridge. Glad you like them Jennifer. Appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy holidays to you and yours ♥
Paula Barbarito Levitt
Maria I made a batch of these yesterday and very much enjoyed your IG post. Thanks for your recipe and giudance.
Maria
How wonderful Paula! Hope you enjoy them 🙂 It’s all about sharing the recipes that we love and grew up with and keeping traditions going. Appreciate your comment ♥♥♥
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
This looks fantastic!! I was just trying to figure out what kind of cookies to bake to bring to my coworkers. This looks perfect!!
All I need to get honey and almonds. I don’t usually have them in the house (mainly because I find them expensive), but this recipe looks worth it!
Maria
Your co-workers are very lucky! Thanks so much for your kind words Cathleen! They are a lot of fun to make. Enjoy!!! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Lina. Yessaillian
Hi Maria , what kind of almonds do you use for this recipe? Raw almonds, or roasted, or roasted and salted ? They look delicious and I’d love to try them. Thanks!
Maria
Hi Lina, just saw your comment… somehow it was in my spam folder. I use regular almonds with the skin, without being roasted. I am in the process of revising this post with new pictures and giving it a fresher look. Thanks for dropping by. Once again, sorry for the delay 🙂
PAT
YOUR SITE IS AWESOME!! SO GLAD TO HAVE FOUND YOU!!
I AM ENJOYING FINDING ITALIAN COOKIES THAT I HAVEN’T HAD IN YEARS. & CAN’T GET BECAUSE ALL MY RELATIVES ARE GONE NOW.
I AM ANXIOUS TO TRY THESE THIS YEAR FOR MY COOKIE TRAYS.
THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH!!
Maria
Welcome Pat! Trying to document some family recipes was one of the reasons I started this site. Appreciate your comment 🙂
Elena
For the last few yrs I have tried so many recipes thanks to u I finally found a good recipe made them today they are great happy holidays all
Maria
That’s wonderful Elena! I am planning to make them this weekend. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Happy Holidays to you too 🙂
Emma
Can you please specify what kind of cocoa and chocolate you used? Bittersweet, baking, dark, milk… so many kinds make for such different results!
Maria
Hi Emma,
I always use a dutch dark cocoa in my recipes. As far as the chocolate is concerned, I prefer to use a bittersweet(at least 70% dark) chocolate. I will usually buy it as a block. Can you tell I just love the flavor of these dark chocolate products 🙂 I have made these specifications on the recipe card. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. Thank-you so much for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
Deb
I know I shouldn’t be looking at cookies – what with it just being January 4th and all, but this cookie came to my attention and I can’t wait to give it a try. I’ll need to convert it to gluten free, but these look amazing. So glad I found your site. Thanks and all the best in the New Year.
Maria
Hi Deb,
I feel exactly the same way 🙂 Of all the cookies one could possibly have, this is my number one. It would be awesome to have a gluten free version of mostaccioli!
I’m heading off to see your site…
Thanks Deb, all the best to you and yours for the New Year also.
Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Cristina
I tried this recipe and it is great. Mostaccioli came out perfect:) Thank you!
If I put them in a closed container in the fridge will they keep better and for how long, do you know?
Grazie 🙂
Maria
Hi Christina,
I am so glad 🙂 🙂 🙂
I will freeze them, chocolate glaze and all. My mom would keep hers in the “cantina” (coldroom), which is comparable to the temperature of a fridge. They will keep for a good couple of weeks. They never lasted that long in my mom’s house 🙂
Thank-you so very much for taking the time to comment.
Buon Natale!
Nella
My favourite too!! Looooove ”mustacciolis”!
Have never tried making them but will give it a try thanks to your recipe, I promise!
Maria
Let me know how they turn out for you!
🙂 🙂 🙂