Last updated on December 13th, 2025
Are you looking for a new Christmas cookie to incorporate into your holiday baking?
Italian mostaccioli diamond-shaped, spiced chocolate cookies that are covered in dark chocolate. They’re one of those cookies that just screams ‘tis the season. Plus, these gingerbread spin-offs are inexpensive to make!
Living in Italy since 2012 has made me an expert in Italian cooking, including traditional holiday foods. I love baking around the holidays and am always looking for new recipes to try out and share with my readers.
Today, I will show you how to make these authentic Italian Christmas cookies from scratch. I’ve included step-by-step instructions, variations and tips for success!
Keep In Mind: Mostaccioli cookies are not super sweet and buttery. They are quite the opposite. They are mild and dry but perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Jump to Section
How To Pronounce Mostaccioli Cookies
Mostaccioli cookies are pronounced moh-stach-choh-lee in Italian, rooted in the Italian word mosto, or must from the grape harvest which was used in the original recipe.
Listen to the pronunciation of mostaccioli cookies here:
What Exactly Are Mostaccioli Cookies?
Mostaccioli are spiced chocolate Christmas cookies from Naples (Campania), similar to American gingerbread. The chocolate cookie is flavored with a variety of spices depending on the region but most commonly, with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Some recipes call for lemon instead of orange, star anise or even bay leaf.
Good To Know: Mostaccioli are vegan and budget friendly!
If in Italy, you will come across this popular Italian cookie in southern regions including Molise, Abruzzo, Puglia, Campania and Basilicata. I would put these Italian cookiesin the ‘poor man’s cooking’ box, meaning they are simple and made with everyday ingredients.
Do you like baking cookies? Check out my recipes for
Cantuccini
Ricciarelli
Mostaccioli
Bussolai
Ingredients For Mostaccioli Cookies
Before starting any recipe, be sure to gather all your ingredients, as listed below, and confirm you have the correct amount for each.
Dry Ingredients For Italian Mostaccioli Cookies
- 4 cups (500 gr) flour
- 1 cup (200 gr) sugar
- 1 ¼ cup (125 gr) almond flour or finely pulverized almonds
- ¼ cup (30 gr) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Pisto
Pisto is a mix of spices used in Italian baking made from:
- 3 parts cinnamon
- 1 part freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 part ground cloves
In southern Italy, you can find this but to make it at home, just use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅓ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg and ⅓ teaspoon ground cloves.
Make It: Bake Napoli-style using my Italian Pisto Recipe.
Other Ingredients For Italian Mostaccioli Cookies
- Zest of 1 orange
- 10 oz (285 gr) dark chocolate of your choice (at least 60% and up to 80%)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 gr) water
How To Make Mostaccioli Cookies
If you need to pulverize the almonds, do so with the help of a food processor. Do this carefully so as to not turn the almonds into almond butter. Pulse until finely ground. In a medium bowl with your finger tips or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar with the orange zest to release the natural oil in the orange zest.
Add the almond flour or pulverized almonds and mix well. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, spices, salt and baking powder.
Add the water slowly with the mixer running on low and mix until fully incorporated. You can also do this by hand but it’s a very stiff dough (similar to a gingerbread dough) which is why I prefer an electric mixer
Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and cover with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
With a rolling pin and just a bit of flour on your board and on the rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking, roll the dough out to about ⅓-½ inch (1 cm) thick.
When ready to cut the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut long strips of dough at an angle or on the diagonal and then proceed to cut diamonds cutting the strips in the other direction. You can make these as large or small as you like (this will affect the baking time) but I tend to make them about 2 ½-3 inches long (from pointy tip to tip).
Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet with about 1 ½ inch between the cookies. Place any remaining cut cookies and dough in the fridge until it’s time to bake them.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-18 minutes for cookies about 2 1/12 inches long.
While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate either in a double boiler on the stovetop or in the microwave at medium power for increments of 15 seconds until fully melted and smooth.
Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cookies are cool, ice them with the melted chocolate with a small spatula or spoon or dip the cookies on one side into the melted chocolate.
Let cool completely on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath to catch the chocolate drips. Repeat with the remaining dough. Keep in mind that the flavor of these cookies improve with time. They are even better the next day!
Notes and Tips For How To Make Mostaccioli Cookies
- Be careful not to work the dough too much when mixing and handle it lightly when shaping to avoid tough cookies.
- You can really make any shape when making these mostaccioli cookies, including cut outs. In this case, be sure to refrigerate the cutout cookie shapes at least 20 minutes right before baking.
- Make the dough up to 3 days before you are ready to bake to better organize your busy holiday baking schedule.
Substitutions And Variations For Mostaccioli Cookies
- Add just a pinch of star anise (powder) or allspice to the dough along with the other spices.
- Use milk chocolate, white chocolate or your favorite chocolate (up to 80% dark) to decorate these cookies. You can read about popular Italian chocolate brands here.
- Instead of covering the entire cookie in chocolate, consider just drizzling each cookie using a spoon.
Mostaccioli Al Rum (Rum Mostaccioli)
To make rum mostaccioli, simply replace 2 tablespoons of the water with 2 tablespoons of rum.
How To Serve Mostaccioli Cookies
A rich chocolate cookie like this with chocolate glaze would not traditionally be eaten for breakfast in Italy but rather, served either as a dessert after dinner with a digestivo or as a snack with coffee or tea.
How To Store Mostaccioli Cookies
Mostaccioli cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
Mostaccioli – Italian Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour (500 g)
- 1 cup sugar (200 g)
- 1 cup water (240 g)
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour or pulverized almonds (125 g)
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (30 g)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/3 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 10 oz dark chocolate of your choice, at least 60% and up to 80% (285 g)
Instructions
- If you need to pulverize the almonds, do so with the help of a food processor. Do this carefully, being careful that the almonds don’t become almond butter. Pulse until finely ground.
- In a medium bowl with your finger tips or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar with the orange zest to release the natural oil. Add the almond flour or pulverized almonds and mix well. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, spices, salt and baking powder.
- Add the water slowly with the mixer running on low and mix until fully incorporated. You can also do this by hand but it’s a very stiff dough similar to a gingerbread dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and cover with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- With a rolling pin and just a tiny bit of flour on your board and on the rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking, roll the dough out to about ⅓-½ inch (1 cm) thick.
- When ready to cut the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
- Using a knife, cut long strips of dough at an angle or on the diagonal and then proceed to cut diamonds cutting the strips in the other direction. You can make these as large or small as you like (this will affect the baking time) but I tend to make them about 2 ½ -3 inches long (from pointy tip to tip).
- Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet with about 1 ½ inch between the cookies. Place any remaining cut cookies and dough in the fridge until it's time to bake them.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-18 minutes for cookies about 2 1/2 inches long.
- While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate either in a double boiler on the stovetop or in the microwave at medium power for increments of 15 seconds until fully melted and smooth.
- Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cookies are cool, ice them with the melted chocolate with a small spatula or spoon or dip the cookies on one side into the melted chocolate.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath to catch the chocolate drips.
- Repeat with the remaining dough. Keep in mind that the flavor of these cookies improve with time. They are even better the next day!
Notes
Notes and Tips
- Be careful not to work the dough too much when mixing and handle it lightly when shaping to avoid tough cookies.
- You can really make any shape when making these mostaccioli cookies, including cut outs. In this case, be sure to refrigerate the cutout cookie shapes at least 20 minutes right before baking.
- Make the dough up to 3 days before you are ready to bake to better organize your busy holiday baking schedule.
Substitutions And Variations
- Add just a pinch of star anise (powder) or allspice to the dough along with the other spices.
- Use milk chocolate, white chocolate or your favorite chocolate (up to 80% dark) to decorate these cookies.
- Instead of covering the entire cookie in chocolate, consider just drizzling each cookie using a spoon.
- To make rum mostaccioli, simply replace 2 tablespoons of the water with 2 tablespoons of rum.
