Description
Pignoli Cookies are delicate Italian almond cookies coated with crunchy pine nuts, boasting a chewy texture and subtle sweetness. Perfect for holidays or everyday treats, these cookies are easy to make with almond paste, sugar, and egg whites, baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 7 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Coating
- 1 cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the Dough: Slice or break apart the almond paste into small pieces. Add to the bowl of a food processor with the sugar, egg white, and salt. Process until it forms a thick, smooth paste, about 1 minute. Pause halfway through to scrape the bowl to ensure no lumps.
- Shape the Cookies: Scoop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough (about 25g each) and roll each into a ball in your palms. If dough is too sticky, chill covered for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Coat with Pine Nuts: Place pine nuts in a wide, shallow bowl. Roll each dough ball in pine nuts, coating entire surface and gently pressing nuts to stick.
- Bake: Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Bake for 18 minutes until pine nuts and edges are golden.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely on the pan before serving, as they are fragile when warm.
Notes
- Visit specialty shops for quality Mediterranean ingredients such as olive oil, honey, jams, and spices to complement your cookies.
- Use almond paste, not marzipan; marzipan has higher sugar and gummy texture making it unsuitable here.
- If no food processor, use a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beating almond paste and sugar first, then adding egg white until smooth.
- If dough sticks too much, use pine nuts as 'flour' to keep it from sticking or chill dough briefly in fridge or freezer.
- Let cookies cool fully on baking sheet to prevent breaking as they are fragile when warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 30 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
