Pignoli Cookies (a.k.a. Pine Nut or Pinon Cookies)

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5 from 2 votes

Pignoli Cookies (a.k.a. Pine Nut or Pinon Cookies)

Crunchy, chewy, sweet and nutty, pignoli cookies are a perfect match for any almond-lover.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: cookies

Author: Mary Younkin

Ingredients

¼ cup pine nuts
8 ounces almond paste
⅔ cup sugar divided
2 egg whites

Instructions

In a small dry skillet, toast the pine nuts over low heat until they are fragrant. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, break up the almond paste. Use the pulse feature on the food processor a few seconds at a time, scraping the sides as needed. It should take just a few minutes to turn the hard paste into fine sand-like pieces. Add the sugar in two stages, processing for a few seconds each time to combine.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the almond mixture into the egg whites, making sure the mixture is well-combined. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (This is required for these cookies. They will stick to the baking sheet without it.)
Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet. Press 8-10 pine nuts into the top of each cookie, pressing down slightly to flatten each ball of dough.
Bake for 14-15 minutes, remove from the oven before the cookies begin to brown. Cool 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

This recipe calls for almond paste, NOT marzipan or almond cake filling. Almond Paste can be found in the baking aisle in most grocery stores. It is typically sold in an 8 ounce can. The paste will be very firm and a food processor is required in order to work with it. The paste will not blend with the other ingredients until it has been broken into a granular mixture.

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