Description
Pignoli Cookies are delightful Italian treats featuring a smooth almond paste dough coated in crunchy pine nuts. These delicate cookies offer a perfect balance of nutty flavors and tender texture, making them an ideal snack or dessert for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 7 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Prepare the Oven: Arrange a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Make the Dough: Break the almond paste into small pieces and place them in a food processor with the sugar, egg white, and salt. Process until the mixture becomes a thick, smooth paste, about 1 minute, pausing halfway to scrape down the sides for an even blend.
- Shape the Cookies: Scoop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough (approximately 25 grams each) and roll each into a ball using your palms. If the dough feels too sticky, chill it covered for 10 to 15 minutes to make handling easier.
- Coat with Pine Nuts: Pour pine nuts into a shallow bowl. Roll each dough ball in the pine nuts, pressing gently to ensure the nuts adhere fully to the cookie surface.
- Bake: Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 minutes until the pine nuts and edges turn golden.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the sheet as they are fragile when warm. Once cooled, serve and enjoy.
Notes
- For Mediterranean-inspired flavors, consider browsing quality ingredients such as olive oils, honey, jams, and spices to complement your cookies.
- Use almond paste, not marzipan, as marzipan has a sweeter, gummier texture that is not ideal for this recipe.
- If you don’t have a food processor, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment can be used—break the almond paste into small pieces and beat with sugar and salt until smooth before adding the egg white.
- If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it in the fridge or freezer briefly, or scoop it directly into pine nuts to avoid sticking while shaping.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing to prevent breaking since they are delicate when warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
