Soft Neapolitan Mostaccioli. They are soft cookies very spicy covered in chocolate.

A unique dessert that cannot be missing from your tables at Christmas.

I clearly remember my mother-in-law Lina when she let me taste the mostaccioli for the first time – an explosion in the mouth, but how good and delicate and fragrant they were.

If you are looking for a simple and perfect recipe to make the famous and delicious Neapolitan cookies, I suggest you try mine.

The recipe for these cookies is very simple to make, made with a cocoa shortcrust base without eggs and butter and with a tasty dark chocolate glaze.

Making them at home is not difficult and can be done well in advance because they retain their taste and softness for a long time so you can serve them to guests during all the holidays or bring them as a gift. Let’s see what the ingredients are to make the mostaccioli.

In recent years, many variations of mostaccioli have appeared, in which the chocolate glaze is replaced with white chocolate glaze or sugar glaze and candied fruit.

These sweets are particularly loved by Neapolitan children for their recipe that combines honey and chocolate.

Pisto is a spice mix found in the spice section, if not available, I list the amounts for 40 grams here, but only 3 grams are needed in the recipe. Make it anyway; it always comes in handy and lasts a long time in the pantry.

You need 15 g ground cinnamon, 5 g pepper, 5 g nutmeg, 2 g cloves, 2 g star anise, 2 g coriander seeds to be crushed or ground and stored in a glass jar.

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 25 Minutes
Portions: 25 cookies
Cooking methods: Electric Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients for Soft Neapolitan Mostaccioli

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp baking soda
1 orange (zest)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
pisto (3 grams)
1 pinch salt
14 oz 70% dark chocolate

Tools

Baking Dishes
Stand Mixer
Kitchen Scales
Parchment Paper
Saucepans
Cookie Cutters
Rolling Pins
Pastry Boards

Steps for Soft Neapolitan Mostaccioli

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place all the ingredients, then turn on the machine and mix until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
If kneading by hand, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
Lightly flour a work surface and transfer the dough, then knead it slightly.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 0.4 inches between two sheets of parchment paper.
Cut diamonds from the dough using a diamond-shaped or square cutter of 2.4 inches per side. Each cookie should weigh about 35 g.
Place the diamonds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 15/17 minutes.
Once baked, let them cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
Coarsely chop the dark chocolate and let it melt in a double boiler while stirring to prevent burning.
Mix very well.
The cookies are nicely cooled, and the glaze is ready.
If you prefer, you can dip the mostaccioli directly into the melted chocolate and then let them set on the parchment paper.
Alternatively, for an even more beautiful result, you can first cover one side by holding the cookies by the tip and coating them with chocolate using a spoon.
Place on a wire rack, with a sheet of parchment paper underneath, and let them dry in a cool place until the chocolate has completely set.
The mostaccioli are ready to be enjoyed, delicious and fragrant cookies that cannot be missed at Christmas, you will see the success!

Advice

Storage Once ready, you can store the mostaccioli for a few days at room temperature under a glass dome. You can freeze them, but before covering them with dark chocolate.

Neapolitan pisto is a blend of spices, typical of Neapolitan culinary tradition, used in the preparation of many traditional Campanian desserts, especially for Christmas.

The most important spices are: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and coriander.

If you can’t find pisto, you can make it at home: simply finely grind the spices and you’re done. You can store the mix for several months and use it in your favorite desserts!

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