Pignoli Cookies Recipe (Pine Nut Cookies)
Soft, chewy, and full of almond flavor, these authentic Italian Pignoli Cookies are coated in golden pine nuts and baked to perfection. Made with just four ingredients and naturally gluten-free!
Servings: 24 cookies
Equipment
- Medium Cookie Scoop holds 1 ½ tablespoons
Ingredients
- 16 ounces almond paste 454g, you will need two tubes
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 298g
- 3 large egg whites 90g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces pine nuts for rolling 170g
- powdered sugar confectioners sugar, for dusting
- 2 teaspoons of either orange or lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place pinenuts in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cut the almond paste into 1-inch pieces and put it in the bowl of a food processor. Watch your fingers near the blade. Add the sugar, zest (if using), and salt and pulse until combined, about 1 minute. It will resemble cornmeal.
- Add 1/2 of the egg whites and process for about 30 seconds. Slowly add the rest* of the egg whites until a sticky dough forms (*If you don't weigh the egg whites, you may not need all the egg whites since egg whites in each egg vary). The dough will be wet and sticky. Grease your hands before rolling.
- Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. You can also use a cookie scoop. I like to oil my cookie scoop, so extracting the dough from the scoop is effortless.
- Roll the dough balls in the pine nuts until covered on all sides.
- Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake until the nuts turn golden brown, about 15-17 minutes. Do not overbake, or they will become too hard.
- Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar, and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, use a hand mixer. Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat on low speed. Add the almond paste bit by bit until a uniform dough forms. Then beat in the sugar and lemon zest. Once you have the dough, continue with the recipe.
- Use room-temperature egg whites as they mix more evenly and help create a light, chewy texture.
- Weigh egg whites if possible since egg sizes vary; too much can make the dough too soft.
- The dough is sticky, so lightly oil your hands for easier shaping.
- Do not overbake. Cookies should be lightly golden. They’ll firm up as they cool.
Nutrition
Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
