Pignoli Cookies

Pignoli is the Italian word for pine nut. These pignoli cookies are an Italian favorite, especially in southern Italy. They get their structure from almond paste and egg whites.

If you buy the almond paste get the type that comes in a can. The paste that comes in a tube is too crumbly and doesn't give the cookies the right consistency.

There's a recipe for homemade almond paste on the Almond Page.

Italian Pignoli Cookies Recipe

2 (8-oz) cans almond paste coarsely crumbled
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons mild honey
1 cup pignoli (Pine nuts; 4 1/2 oz)

A pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 plain tip makes forming these cookies much easier. But if you don't have one you can just use a spoon and drop the cookies on the baking sheets.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Pulse the almond paste in a food processor until it's broken up into small bits. Add the confectioners sugar and salt and continue to pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute.

Beat together the almond mixture, the egg whites, and the honey in electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth, about 5 minutes (The batter will be very thick).

Spoon half of the pignoli cookies batter into a pastry bag if using (keep the remaining batter covered with a dampened paper towel to prevent drying out) and pipe or spoon 1 1/2-inch rounds about 1 inch apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Gently press half of the pine nuts into the tops of the cookies.

Bake the cookies in the upper and the lower thirds of oven, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes total.

Slide the cookies on the parchment onto racks to cool completely and then peel the cookies from the parchment. Make more cookies with the remaining batter and pine nuts on cooled baking sheets.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen pignoli cookies.

These Pignoli Cookies are best eaten the day of or the day after being baked. But they will keep about a week in an airtight container at room temperature, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment.