Mostaccioli–Italian Christmas Spice Cookies

Mostaccioli brings back many Christmas memories to me. It is a cookie that I ate often as a child. My father is from Sicily. I grew up eating plenty of cannoli and mostaccioli.  I was glancing through Nick Malgieri’s Cookies Unlimited book last night and came across this recipe. My eyes lit up. I could taste the pungent cloves and cinnamon. Memories of the sticky glaze dusted with sprinkles came rushing back to me.

I had to make these cookies for Christmas. Today was our big “Cookie Making Day” with our neighbors and their kids. We made a gazilion sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms. The chocolate crinkle dough was still chilling in the fridge while I made these Italian treats.

There are mostaccioli cookies and mostaccioli pasta (which look like penne). Nick Malgieri says that mostaccioli cookies are a traditional Apulian Christmas cookie. As I was googling different recipes, I came across many shapes and different icings (chocolate and white). Some recipes called for honey and molasses. Some bakers shape them like diamonds, others make the round. I chose to make Mr. Malgieri’s exact recipe and they are the way I remember eating them in Sicily. I can’t wait for my daddy to try these on Christmas day!

Today was our big “Cookie Making Day” with our neighbor’s and their kids. We made a gazilion sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms. The chocolate crinkle dough was still chilling in the fridge while I made these Italian treats.

Recipe Note: The dough was very easy to make. I could not fit the entire recipe in my food processor. I ground the almonds and sugar. I added some of the flour and pulsed the butter into it. I then transferred it into a huge bowl and mixed the rest of the ingredients by hand with a pastry cutter. The dough could sit overnight to absorb the wine flavor. I had 7 kids waiting for some cookie samples. I didn’t wait and the cookies turned out AMAZING! Next time I will let it wait in fridge for the next day and taste the difference.

This is what I found when researching the origins of Mostaccioli:
”Apparently, the original recipe for mostaccioli cookies dates back to 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ! If that’s true then the mostaccioli recipe is one of the oldest cookie recipes on record. Of course, food historians not only disagree as to when the cookies were first made and where they were first made, but they also question the origin of the word itself. Some food historians believe the word, mostaccioli, comes from the latin “mustaceum” meaning a cake cooked with grape must, others believe the word is Greek in origin. Some food historians argue that regardless of the origin of the word, it was the Arabs who introduced the cookie to the world. In any case, the Roman senator and orator, Cato, described the mostaccioli cookie (or cake) in a text written sometime in the 1st century A.D. However, the “cake” he described included rye flour, cumin, cheese, anise and eggs. Obviously, the recipe changed over time. There is a general consensus among food historians that the recipe now in use started to be popular around 1653. According to one legend, St. Domenico, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Naples, gave out mostaccioli cookies to the local populace in Sariano, Calabria after a terrible earthquake hit the region and the people there were in dire need. Since that time on the Feast Day of St. Domenico, August 16th, people in Sariano, Calabria celebrate by making mostaccioli cookies. Apparently, mostaccioli cookies are also auctioned off on that day and the money is given to charity. Whenever and wherever the cookies were first made is a moot point, but everyone seems to agree that Italians, especially Southern Italians, fell in love with these highly-spiced cookies and have been making them for over three centuries. In North America mostaccioli are generally presented as diamond-shaped; some recipes include chocolate and others do not. However, in Italy, the cookies come in a variety of shapes and flavors. Cookies can come in shapes of baskets, birds, snakes, horses, dolls and figures of women (For photos and more information on mostaccioli’s fascinating history see www.infocrotone.com). Apparently, some mostaccioli are so beautifully decorated in Italy that people would rather display them, then eat them up. In fact, a collection of 36 ancient forms used to make these cookies were once put on display at the National Museum of Applied Arts in Rome. There are hundreds and hundreds of recipes for mostaccioli cookies on the internet (P.S. Not all the mostaccioli entries on the internet refer to cookies, some are pastas). In any case, not only do the recipes call for different flavorings, they also use different types of doughs. Some doughs call for yeast, others for baking powder and/or baking ammonia. Some doughs are hard, others are soft. Some recipes include chocolate, others do not. Most recipes include honey and sugar. Even though the original recipes included mosto cotto, very few do nowadays (Still, it’s an interesting variation). Also, the names of the cookies differ from region to region. In Calabria they are called “mustazzola” and “mastazzolu”; in Sardinia, “mustazzolus.” Prior to World War II mostaccioli cookies were generally only served at weddings, though in some areas in the South, they were also served for the Christmas festivities. Nowadays, of course, they are sold in shops, and so are available throughout the year, and anytime is a good time to feast on them.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Buon Natale! Feliz Navidad! I hope you enjoy your holiday with your loved ones! Thank you for stopping by today!