Pignoli cookies

pignoli cookies dusted with powdered sugar

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5 from 2 votes

These pretty nut cookies are easy to make, sweet, chewy and delicious.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 160kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

7 oz almond paste
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1 egg white from a large egg
⅔ cup pine nuts (may not need all)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C and line a baking sheet/tray with a silicone mat or parchment.
Break up the almond paste into chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse for a minute or two to break the paste into crumbs.
Add the sugar and lemon zest to the almond paste and process again to combine and form a grainy crumb-like texture.
Add the egg white and mix to combine and bring the dough together. Remove the blade then divide the mixture into 12 pieces - I find it easiest to scoop with a small cookie scoop, with the scoop flattened off as you scoop.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Using slightly wet hands can make this easier. Place the pine nuts in a relatively small wide bowl then roll each ball of dough in the pine nuts so that they stick evenly on all sides. Place the dough on the prepared cookie sheet/tray leaving around 2in/5cm between each cookie. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
Bake the cookies in the lower middle of the oven for around 12 - 15 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to for a good 10 minutes before removing from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack to cool further. If you like, dust with sifted confectioner's sugar (icing sugar). Store at room temperature in a closed container.

Video

Notes

If you prefer, you can just roll one side of the cookies in the pine nuts and then place the uncovered side on the bottom of the baking sheet. This way, you don't use quite as many pine nuts but they look similar from above.

Nutrition