Mostaccioli calabresi

Name: Mostaccioli calabresi
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 7
Ingredients: Wildflower honey 1 ½ cup; Type 00 flour 4.4 cups; Egg yolks medium 3; Baking powder 1.7 tsp; Wildflower honey 0.6 cup; Sprinkles to taste; Type 00 flour to taste

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697

Calories per serving

Lactose Free
Vegetarian

Energy Kcal 697
Carbohydrates g 155.7
of which sugars g 89.9
Protein g 11.6
Fats g 3.1
of which saturated fat g 0.98
Fiber g 2.2
Cholesterol mg 115
Sodium mg 18

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Makes: 7 pieces
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Mostaccioli Calabresi. Really, what a treat! These Calabrian honey cookies bring to mind all those family gatherings and big celebrations in southern Italy. You know, in Calabria, they're pretty famous for their firm bite and that rich, sweet aroma thanks to millefiori honey. Plus, each village—sometimes each household—puts its own twist on them. Some people shape them into birds or horses, others keep it simple. But these traditional Italian biscuits are more than just snacks. They're a big deal at weddings, baptisms, and graduations. Seriously, it’s like a rite of passage watching a young baker roll dough into long, flat ropes, shaping them with pride like their grandparents did. The cookies turn out golden and a bit hard—not your typical soft cookie—but that’s their charm. They last long and have unique character.

In places like Soriano Calabro, special pastry shops make these Mostaccioli Calabresi for festivals and holidays. And look, you’ll see all sorts of shapes, sometimes decorated with bright-colored sugar or bits of paper. Makes them look festive, which is great for celebrations. You know, people often bring these Calabrian honey cookies as gifts or souvenirs when visiting friends and relatives. They’re treasured alongside other Italian Christmas cookies. The taste? Simple yet comforting. The sweet honey flavor really stands out, and the crunchy texture pairs perfectly with coffee or sweet wine. I mean, some family stories say bakers add a hint of citrus or spice—just their little secret—but the basic recipe stays the same. Keeps everyone connected to their roots. So, these cookies are more than just festive baked goods. They're a symbol of Calabrian pride. Every bite is like a little piece of regional tradition, handed down generation to generation. Whether at a big celebration or a cozy family gathering, Mostaccioli Calabresi carry the heart of Calabria in each mouthful. And here's the thing, they're really really good.

INGREDIENTS

697

Calories per serving

Ingredients for about 7 mostaccioli: Wildflower honey 1 ½ cup (500 g); Type 00 flour 4.4 cups (550 g); Egg yolks 3 - medium; Baking powder 1.7 tsp (8 g)

for brushing and decorating: Wildflower honey 0.6 cup (200 g); Sprinkles to taste

for the work surface: Type 00 flour to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Mostaccioli calabresi

To prepare the Calabrian mostaccioli, first sift the flour into a bowl 1, along with the yeast 2. In the center, add the egg yolks and part of the honey 3

then start whisking with a fork to gather the ingredients 4 and add the remaining honey 5. Adding the honey in several stages will make it easier to work with the dough, but if you are more experienced you can add all the ingredients at once and start kneading right away. Knead the ingredients with your hands 6 and if necessary, add more flour.

When the ingredients are gathered, transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and continue kneading 7: you should proceed by forming a loaf 8 and then folding the ends towards the center 9. If the dough is still sticky, add more flour.

Continue this way until you get a homogeneous and compact dough 10. Divide the dough into parts of 5 oz each 11, about 7 parts, and keep the leftover dough for the decorations. If you like, you can make smaller or larger mostaccioli. Shape each piece into a loaf 12 about 12 inches long and flatten it a bit with your hands so that it is about 1.5 inches wide and 0.75 inches high.

Place the mostaccioli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 13. With the remaining dough, form small thin loaves 14 or balls and create decorations to place on the surface 15.

Bake the mostaccioli in a static oven preheated to 356°F for 35-40 minutes (320°F for 30 minutes in a convection oven) until they turn a nice dark color 16. Once out of the oven, brush the still warm mostaccioli with honey 17 and decorate them with sprinkles or colored sugar pearls 18 as desired! Let the mostaccioli dry for a few hours so that the dough absorbs the honey, dries, and hardens. Serve the Calabrian mostaccioli whole or cut into pieces like biscotti!

Storage

Store the mostaccioli at room temperature, in a box or under a glass dome for up to 2-3 weeks.
Freezing is not recommended.

Curiosity

In Calabria, mostaccioli must not be missing during weddings: they are prepared by the bride's family, who, according to tradition, make one of large size, almost as long as a 6-person table!
The large mostacciolo is then offered as a dessert at the end of the celebrations even today.
Until a few years ago, the mostacciolo was also the protagonist of a particular ritual: on the wedding day, when the bride was ready to go to church, this huge mostacciolo was taken by a group of the bride's relatives to the groom's house, who understood that the bride was ready to go to the altar. It was the groom's family's duty to bring the mostacciolo to the wedding reception. At the end of the celebrations, the two newlyweds would raise the large mostacciolo and break it: the one who ended up with the larger piece was also honored with being the head of the family.
But often the result was predictable: the groom's mother would indeed make small cuts under the mostacciolo, when it was under her custody, and suggest to the groom which side to stand on to get the larger piece, thus ensuring the son decision-making power.

Advice

The dough for the mostaccioli is very versatile and lends itself to being customized in a thousand ways, for example with wildflower honey, chestnut, or cherry honey, which are more flavorful and have a strong taste. The same goes for the decorations: in Calabria, it is common to make different ones depending on the occasion, for baptisms or weddings with silver or gold sugar pearls, for graduations with red sugar pearls. Don't hold back and unleash your imagination!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.