MOSTACCIOLI ITALIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECIPE
Mostaccioli are large spiced rhombus-shaped biscuits covered in chocolate typical of the Christmas tradition of southern Italy.
They are soft biscuits, very aromatic and fragrant thanks to the mix of spices that characterizes them.
The recipe for preparing MOSTACCIOLI is very easy and the dough is simple, based on flour, almonds, water, honey, cocoa and a mix of spices based on cinnamon, cloves, star anise, coriander and nutmeg.
Just mix everything together in a bowl, form the dough by hand, roll out the dough and cut out diamond shapes: the secret to obtaining their particular consistency is adding ammonia for desserts which makes them more puffy and tender. After you have baked mostaccioli you will only have to glaze them with melted dark chocolate.
According to tradition in Southern Italy they are served or given as gifts during the Christmas period together with classic Christmas desserts such as panettone and nougat.
Like all traditional recipes, there are different versions depending on the Italian region in which they are made and it can be said that almost every family has its own recipe.
What I propose to you today is the recipe for Mostaccioli inherited from my grandmother who prepared them in this way since she was a child. This recipe doesn’t claim to be the original but what I can guarantee you is that you will prepare soft, very fragrant and super delicious MOSTACCIOLI.
They keep for a long time, even a week, so they are perfect for preparing in advance or even for giving to friends as a Christmas present.
Ingredients
- Power 296,36 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 39,26 (g) of which sugars 17,85 (g)
- Proteins 6,47 (g)
- Fat 13,69 (g) of which saturated 6,90 (g)of which unsaturated 3,93 (g)
- Fibers 5,40 (g)
- Sodium 73,44 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
Steps
STEP 1
The mostaccioli dough can be made either by hand or with a mixer. Place the dry elements in the bowl: all-purpose flour, almond flour, cocoa, baking powder, spices, salt and sugar and mix with a fork. Then add honey, grated orange zest and orange juice and start kneading until the dough is smooth.
STEP 2
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. Place baking paper on a work table, place the dough in the center and roll out with a rolling pin (about 1 cm thick), trying to give the dough a square shape. To work better with a rolling pin I recommend placing a sheet of baking paper on top of the dough as well. After you have rolled out the dough, leave it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
STEP 3
Take the dough after it has rested and cut it into diamond shapes using a ruler: make cuts of about 6 cm per side starting first from one diagonal of the rectangle and then the other diagonal. You must obtain many rhombuses weighing approximately 40 g. each.
STEP 4
Place the diamonds on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake in a preheated static oven at 180 degrees for approximately 15/18 minutes. Cooking times depend on the type of oven and the thickness of the mostaccioli. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
STEP 5
Break the dark chocolate and melt in the microwave or in a bain-marie, it must become smooth and fluid. Take mostaccioli and dip the upper base in the melted chocolate, then place the biscuits on a wire rack and wait for the chocolate to solidify again. Here are the mostaccioli ready.
STORAGE
You can store the mostaccioli closed in an airtight container for up to a week. However, it is possible to freeze them before frosting them because chocolate is the enemy of both moisture and cold.
NOTE
AROMATIC SPICES To prepare mostaccioli, PISTO is usually used, an aromatic spice mixture composed of cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, star anise, coriander and nutmeg. If you can’t find it on the internet you can create your own mix by simply mixing the spices as indicated in the recipe. I bought the Pisto on Amazon at the following LINK.
Varied doses for servings