Pignoli Cookies
Italian pignoli cookies are a soft and chewy cookie usually made around the holidays. They're made with a few simple ingredients, making them especially useful when you have to bake a million things for the holidays.
Servings: 12 cookies
Calories: 232kcal
Cost: $10
Equipment
- 1 cookie scoop
- 1 baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 8 oz almond paste Solo Brand
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- 1.25 cups pine nuts
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Chop the almond paste into pieces and place it in a food processor. Process until finely crumbled.
- Add the sugar and pulse until the mixture is fully combined and has the texture of wet sand.
- Add the egg whites, salt, and almond extract. Process until fully combined and the mixture has a consistency of a thick paste. The dough will be very wet and sticky.
- Place the pine nuts on a plate. Use a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough directly onto the pine nuts. Gently roll and press the dough into the pine nuts until coated. The dough will feel very wet at first, but once it is coated in the pine nuts, it will be much easier to handle.
- Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray about 2 inches apart, leaving them as mounds.
- Bake for 15–17 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden but the centers are still pale and soft. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar
Video
Notes
- Use the right amount of almond paste. Two common brands you'll see at the store are Solo and Odense. Solo comes in an 8-ounce package, while Odense comes in a 7-ounce package. I developed this recipe with 8 ounces of Solo almond paste, so make sure you have the full 8 ounces.
- Know the difference between sticky and too wet. This dough is supposed to be very sticky, but it shouldn't be runny or drip off the spoon. Egg whites can vary in size, which can occasionally make the dough wetter. If your dough is dripping off the spoon, add 1 tablespoon of almond flour at a time until it thickens enough to scoop.
- Don't try to roll the dough before coating it. The dough is very sticky. Scoop it directly into the pine nuts first. Once it's coated, it's much easier to handle.
- Don't wait for the entire cookie to brown. The edges should be lightly golden while the centers remain pale and soft.
- Let them cool on the tray. Give the cookies at least 5 minutes to set before transferring them to a cooling rack. They're so soft that when they're hot, they can still fall apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
