Description
Delightful Italian pignoli cookies bring sweet pine nut magic to dessert tables across Sicily with their delicate almond paste base. Crisp exterior and chewy center create a perfect harmony that melts in your mouth, inviting you to savor each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 7 ounces / 200 grams package almond paste
- 1 cup / 120 grams pine nuts
- 2 large egg whites
Sugars:
- ½ cup / 100 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ cup / 30 grams powdered sugar
Flavor Enhancer:
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Prepare the oven environment by heating to 350F (175C) and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat to ensure even baking and prevent sticking.
- Deconstruct the almond paste into small fragments inside a spacious mixing bowl, creating a crumbly base for the cookie texture.
- Incorporate granulated and powdered sugars into the almond paste fragments, utilizing an electric mixer on low speed to transform the mixture into a coarse, uniform consistency.
- Introduce egg whites and almond extract gradually, continuing to blend until a cohesive, slightly tacky dough emerges with a smooth, integrated profile.
- Dampen hands slightly to prevent dough adherence, then carefully sculpt small, uniform orbs from the prepared mixture.
- Delicately roll each dough ball through a bed of pine nuts, applying gentle pressure to ensure complete and even nut coverage across the cookie’s exterior.
- Strategically position the pine nut-encrusted dough spheres on the prepared baking sheet, maintaining approximately two inches of separation between each cookie to allow proper expansion during baking.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven, allowing the cookies to transform for 15-18 minutes until they develop a soft, golden hue and the pine nuts achieve a gentle toasted appearance.
- Allow the freshly baked cookies to rest on the baking sheet for five minutes, facilitating initial cooling and structural stabilization.
- Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack, permitting complete temperature reduction and maintaining their delicate texture.
- Serve immediately for optimal flavor and crispness, or preserve in an airtight container for up to five days to enjoy later.
Notes
- Adjust moisture by adding a splash of water if the dough feels too dry, ensuring perfect cookie texture.
- Toast pine nuts beforehand to enhance their nutty flavor and create a deeper, more complex taste profile.
- Opt for blanched almond paste for smoother, more consistent cookie consistency and cleaner appearance.
- Swap egg whites with aquafaba for a vegan-friendly version that maintains the original cookie’s delicate structure.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 18
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg