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Neapolitan Mostaccioli

17/11/2023

Mostaccioli, also known as mustacciuoli, are traditional Neapolitan sweets associated with the Christmas period. They are spiced cookies covered with a chocolate icing, originally made with “must”, which is freshly squeezed grape juice. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 500 g of 00 flour
  • 250 g of sugar
  • 100 g of honey
  • 100 g of chopped toasted almonds
  • 50 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 150 ml of water or alternatively, cooked must
  • 1 packet of baking powder
  • 100 g of chopped candied fruits (orange and citron)
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of ground cloves
  • Grated zest of one orange
  • Grated zest of one lemon

For the icing:

  • 200 g of dark chocolate
  • 50 g of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of water

Preparation

  1. In a saucepan, put the sugar, honey, and water (or cooked must) and bring to a boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  2. In a large bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa and baking powder. Then add the chopped almonds, candied fruits, cinnamon, cloves, and citrus zests.
  3. Pour the honey and sugar mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and knead until you have a smooth and uniform dough.
  4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. Using the appropriate moulds, cut the mostaccioli into the desired shapes.
  5. Arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 180 °C for about 15 minutes.
  6. While the cookies are baking, prepare the chocolate icing by melting the chocolate with the butter and water in a double boiler until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
  7. Once the mostaccioli are cooked and have cooled down, dip them in the chocolate icing, making sure to cover them completely.
  8. Let the icing dry on a rack and once they are well dried, you can serve them.

Trivia

The name “mostaccioli” comes from the fact that they were originally made with grape must, which gave them a particular softness and a unique taste. Even today, it is possible to find in some Neapolitan pastry shops mostaccioli prepared according to the ancient recipe with must.

Enjoy your cooking and bon appétit with this delicious Neapolitan tradition!

Neapolitan Mostaccioli