There’s a chance that this was the original Christmas cookie, as the recipe is said to have originated over 300 years B.C. A first-century text lists the ingredients as rye flour, cumin, cheese, anise and eggs. In the 2000-plus years since, it has evolved into a chocolate nut cookie rich with warm winter spices.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 2 1/2 dozen cookies |
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Zest of 1 orange
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, olive oil and orange zest.
- Put the flour, sugar, walnuts, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the walnuts are in medium-sized pieces. Add the egg mixture and chocolate chips, and continue to pulse until a thick dough forms.
- Roll pieces of the cookie dough into golf ball-sized pieces, and arrange on the prepared baking sheets at least 3 inches apart. Bake, rotating halfway through, 15 to 17 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, 20 minutes. Store in an airtight tin for up to 1 week, or freeze for 2 months. Dough can also be prepared and frozen up to 3 months ahead of time.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 221 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 31 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 15 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 30 mg |
| Sodium | 98 mg |
Reviews
This isn’t really a review but a comment. I’m sure these are delicious but not even close to what my Italian family calls mostaccioli. I believe our recipe is probably one of the oldest known cookie. No spices, no sugar, just simple ingredients that any household would have had on hand during that time period. The cookie consists of egg yolks, honey, unbleached flour. We’ve updated the recipe and add a little butter to keep them soft longer. Realize your version isn’t the original, and the new version does sound tasty. Just thought I’d share our version of mostaccioli.