Mostaciolli,

Mostaciolli (mos - tah - cho -lee) are a traditional Neapolitan Christmas cookie. The name of the ccokie seems to derive from the Italian word “mosto” the “must” derived from grapes in wine production. The “mosto” is an ancient form of leavening that dates from the earliest times. The shape of the mostaciolli is traditionally a diamond. The coating is usually always chocolate, but I made a few with white confectioner's icing. While you can find mostaciolli in Italian American bakeries around Christmas time, I'm not sure that I recall them on the Christmas cookie trays of my childhood. This recipe seems to be one of the older. You can always tell an old recipe. It starts with at least four cups of flour. Then too, the ingredients of these cookies suggest the simplest of cookies. There are no eggs and no butter in this recipe. Water is the binder to be added gradually to create the dough. Although mostaciolli are made with chocolate they have the texture and flavor hint of gingerbread and, like gingerbread, they may be traditional but they are not as popular as they once were. I've included them in my collection of Italian Christmas cookies just for the sake of preserving the Italian American kitchen.

More Italian Christmas Cookies

Getting started - What you need

Equipment
Mixing bowl
Baking tray
Parchment
Cooling rack
Microwave for melting chocolate
Diamond shape cookie cutter
or
Sharp knife
Spatula

Ingredients

Four cups of flour
One cup of sugar
!/4 cup dark cocoa
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Orange zest

1/4 cup of water to be added gradually as needed.

For the glaze
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
(optional - confectioner's sugar and lemon glaze)

Dry ingredients and water

Add the flour and all the other dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.

Very slowly add a bit of water at a time until you have a workable dough.

Shape the dough

Flour the work table and form the dough into a ball.

Roll out the dough

Roll out the dough into something of a rectangle.

Cutting out the daimonds

If you have a diamond cooking cutter use it.
If not, slice the dough on angles to make the diamonds.

Set on tray and bake

Line baking tray with parchment.
Set out the diamonds and bake at 350 for about 15 - 18 minutes.
Do not crowd the tray.
Bake one tray at a time.

Melt the chocolate

Melt the chocolate in a microwave. Usually heat for one minute, stir well then heat again for another minute.
Stir again. The chocolate should be melted.

Dip the diamond in chocolate

Dip in chocolate and set on a rack to dry.
It's a good idea to set the rack over a pan lined with parchment paper.