Description
Delightful pignoli cookies showcase classic Italian almond flavor with pine nuts. Pine-studded treats melt in your mouth, offering sweet perfection that connects you to Mediterranean culinary traditions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ¼ cups pine nuts (pignoli) (about 7 ¼ oz or 205 g)
- 1 cup almond paste
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ cup almond flour (approximately 1 ¼ oz or 35 g)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 pinch of salt (equivalent to about ¼ tsp)
- Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease to prevent sticking.
- Mixing Base: Crumble almond paste and combine with sugar, salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and almond flour until coarse and crumbly, creating a foundational mixture.
- Binding Dough: Gradually incorporate egg white, beating on low speed until the batter transforms into a smooth, uniform texture.
- Chilling Process: Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to enhance handling and stabilize consistency.
- Coating Preparation: Spread pine nuts evenly in a shallow dish, ready for coating cookie balls.
- Forming Cookies: Extract chilled dough, roll tablespoon-sized portions into smooth balls, then gently press each into pine nuts, ensuring complete nut coverage.
- Baking Configuration: Arrange pine nut-coated cookies on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart to accommodate potential spreading.
- Baking Technique: Bake for 20-24 minutes, selecting duration based on desired texture – shorter time for softer cookies, longer for crispier results.
- Cooling Method: Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks for complete cooling.
- Finishing Touch: Optionally dust with confectioners’ sugar for enhanced sweetness and elegant presentation.
- Storage: Preserve in airtight container in cool, dry environment for up to one week, maintaining optimal freshness and texture.
Notes
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerating helps control spreading and makes the dough easier to handle, ensuring perfectly shaped cookies.
- Nut Coating Technique: Roll cookies gently in pine nuts, applying light pressure to ensure complete and even coverage without crushing the delicate nuts.
- Baking Time Flexibility: Adjust baking time between 20-24 minutes to achieve your desired cookie texture – shorter for softer, longer for crispier results.
- Storage Wisdom: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for maximum freshness, consuming within a week for optimal taste and texture.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg