Mostaccioli Cookies from Molise

Step 1

In a small saucepan, heat the honey with a dash of cinnamon and 1 clove ground to a powder, then add a little grated mandarin, orange or lemon zest. In a blender or food processor, chop the almonds and hazelnuts to produce a coarse meal. Mix it with the flour, cocoa and sugar.

Step 2

Then add the honey, spices, eggs, coffee, 2 tablespoons of oil, the cooked must and 1/2 packet (about 1 3/4 teaspoons) of baker’s ammonia or baking powder. Mix to form a dough and let it rest, covered, for 2 hours. Roll it out to 2 3/4 - 3 inches thick and cut it into diamond shapes, combining the scraps and rolling them out again until the dough is gone. Set the cookies on baking sheets covered with parchment paper, brush them with water and bake them at 340°F for 18-20 minutes.

Step 3

For chocolate coating: In a double boiler, melt the chopped chocolate. Put the cookies, one at a time, on the tines of a fork and dip them into the melted chocolate, then let the excess drip off

Step 4

and let them dry on a rack. To vary the coating, melt gianduja chocolate and mix in chopped hazelnuts.