Mostaccioli Napoletani – Italian Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies
Also known as Mostaccioli Napoletani, these chocolate-dipped cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. These would be perfect for holiday baking and gifting.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups blanched whole or slivered almonds
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brewed coffee at room temperature
- ¼ cup honey, grape must or dark corn syrup
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup natural cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 450 g bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable shortening or refined coconut oil
Instructions
- Position racks in top and bottom thirds of oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Spread almonds on one prepared pan and bake until lightly toasted, about 6 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer to food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- In small saucepan, combine sugar, coffee and honey; stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and whisk in cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and orange zest. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
- In large bowl, whisk together ground almonds, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add cooled syrup mixture and stir until dough just comes together and no patches of dry flour remain.
- On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ⅜ in (1 cm) thickness. Using a pizza cutter or chef’s knife, cut dough into strips that are 2 in (5 cm) wide, then cut each strip on an angle every 2 in (5 cm) to make diamond shape. Place diamonds on prepared pans 2 in (5 cm) apart.
- Bake until edges are dark brown and tops are dry to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Let cool on pans for 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Place all cookies on one pan.
- In large microwave-safe bowl or over a shallow pot of simmering water, melt chocolate and shortening until smooth.
- Using 2 forks, dip each cookie into chocolate mixture, tapping forks on edge of bowl to remove excess. Transfer to clean parchment-lined pan. Refrigerate pan of cookies to set the chocolate before serving.
Notes
Tip: To make these cookies in the style of Italy’s Salento region, add ½ cup vegetable or olive oil (not extra-virgin olive oil) and 1 tsp baker’s ammonia to the dough. Using a 2 tbsp (1 oz) ice cream scoop, drop mounds of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets 2 in (5 cm) apart. Bake as directed. Do not coat in melted chocolate. Dust the cooled cookies with cocoa powder.
Tip: To make these cookies Naples style, make the Salento variation (above), but while the cookies are still warm, brush the tops with orange marmalade. Once cooled, cover in melted chocolate, as in the Neapolitan version, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios before the chocolate sets.