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 ¼-1/2 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!
Recipe
Mostaccioli di Mamma
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Ingredients
- 5½ cups all purpose flour 780 grams
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder ⅔ cup
- 1 pound coarsely ground almond 3 ½ cups
- 6 eggs extra large, room temperature
- 1 pound honey 1 ⅓ 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).
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out. You can also leave it to rest overnight for convenience.
- Working with dough in small batches, place on well-floured wooden board and roll out to ¼ - ½" 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
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Toni
the cookies were amazing! Thank you!! BTW my mom is from Ripabottoni too!!
Maria
So nice to virtually meet you Toni! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, appreciate it!
Nicole
OMG made it will bring itvto work tomorrow sure to be a hit with collegues at work sobYummy!!!!
Maria
Yeah!!! How wonderful Nicole! Enjoy!
Rosemarie
I’m going to try these. My family is from the same area in Italy and my grandparents always sent these to us every Christmas.
Maria
How wonderful! Enjoy Rosemarie!
Lucy
These biscuits are an absolute winner! I’ve tried a number of recipes for these biscuits over time and your ones are by far the VERY BEST. Thanks so much for sharing. I love your website heaps!
Maria
Thanks so much Lucy!
Regina
I can not wait to make but these for Christmas. Do far I have made 4 of your delicious recipes and they have Wowed my family. Thank you for helping me bring some Tradition back in to my family life.
Maria
Thanks so much for your kind words Regina. Buon Natale to you and your loved ones!
Nonna MamaLuke
I’ve never had these cookies!! I want to make these cookies, but I’m not a big clove fan. Is the clove taste very strong? Can I decrease the amount or leave it out?
Thank you.
Maria
Thanks for your interest Nonna. It is mildly spiced and pairs well with the chocolate. You can decrease the amount and then adjust to your taste the next time you make them. Have fun!
Diana Luczak
Just finished your Almond Biscotti recipe – truly addictive – and now for the Mostaccioli cookies – cant wait! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes ! It turns out my mother was raised 9 minutes away from your mother in San Marco dei Cavotti (Benevento). Ciao, friend!
Maria
My pleasure Diane! Such a cute little town! Borrillo make the best torroni! I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed the biscotti. Have fun with the Mostaccioli!
chanel
Hiiiiii I made this last Christmas and it was a huge hit !!! I want it to make it again but was wondering if it’s possible to cut the recipe in half? Thank you !!!
Maria
How wonderful Chanel, glad you enjoyed them. Yes, all of the ingredients can easily be cut in half. Thanks for stopping by.
Jen M
Mine turned out dry. I think 10 minutes will be better…next time I bake these… and the half inch thick. I loved the taste , but they were too hard with the 15 min baking with 1/4 inch.
A lot of work . My neighbor gave me his Italian moms cookies. ( these) I had never tasted them before. I plan on giving the ones I made to his family with my other Christmas cookies. I wanted to show my appreciation. I just hope they are not too dry for their liking. No time to redo. I would like mire spice and softer… but Im not Italian …. so Im winging it! Hope they enjoy. I ate 4 testing … I was hoping the chocolate would help the dry taste .
Maria
Hi Jen, appreciate your feedback. The variations of oven temperatures are very challenging to say the least. I recently baked these at a friend’s house and I had to lower the temperature 25 degrees as she has a convection oven. That being said, the chocolate glaze should soften the cookie.The flavors also become more pronounced.
I always include the visual clues to help determine the bake time to help with variations (1/4-1/2 inch thick). Perhaps I will re-emphasize the visual cues in the recipe. I also think I will revise the recipe to encourage a trial test run before baking a whole batch.
Yes, I agree, these cookies do take a bit of time but based on my experience, they are one of the most appreciated cookies. I am sure your neighbor will love them. Truly appreciate your time and feedback with this recipe ♥
Wishing you and your loved ones a happy holiday season!
Joanna Eli Luce
Thank you for this recipe! We usually buy these from our local italian bakeries but they were all out (it IS December 22nd, after all). Nonnina loves these and was disappointed when we couldn’t find them. I decided to give it a shot at home, and I found your page. SO happy with them! They are so much softer than the ones we buy, just the right texture and flavour. I am bringing them over this week-end. We’ll see what she says! :p
Thanks so much, again, and Buon Natale!
Maria
How wonderful Joanna! I hope your Nonnina will like them 🙂 Once I left the mostaccioli in the oven a few minutes longer in order to get a harder cookie… most of my family preferred the softer version. So, if ever you do want a harder cookie, a few more minutes in the oven will definitely change the texture. Great comment! Appreciate you taking the time and sharing your story. Buon Natale to you and your loved ones ♥♥♥
nozomibirmignham
Delicious!
Maria
Fantastic! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂