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Pignoli Cookies
CONTRIBUTING FOOD EDITOR & AUTHOR, Marie Bianco
Pignoli cookies can cost up to $16 to $20 a
pound if you buy them at an Italian bakery,
but these Southern Italian holiday favorites
are so easy to make you’ll want to make
plenty and give them as gifts.
Pignoli Cookie Recipe
by Marie Bianco
Makes about 30 cookies.
8 ounces pignoli (pine nuts)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
Hints for making pignoli.
1 (8 ounce) can almond paste

Always use almond paste, not marzipan
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
which is a combination of almond paste
½ teaspoon almond extract
and sugar.
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Break up the almond paste into small
pieces with your fingers. If the almond
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2
paste has hardened, grate it using the large
cookie sheets with Teflon or Silpat liners or
hole on a four-sided grater.
lightly butter the sheets. Place pignoli in a

A small amount of flour will keep the
shallow dish.
cookies from spreading too much.
2. Combine granulated sugar, confectioners’

The size of the dough ball determines the
sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl and
size of the cookie. Make them smaller if
lightly whisk.
you want more cookies.
3. Break up the almond paste with your

Baking the cookies longer will result in
fingers and place in a mixing bowl of an
darker, chewier cookies and the pignoli will
electric mixer. Add the egg whites and beat
be more toasted.
on low speed until smooth. You can use a

Buying pignoli in a supermarket can be
hand mixer, but you’ll need a strong arm if
expensive. Purchasing them at a discount
you do it by hand.
warehouse like Costco or Sam’s can save
4. Add the almond extract and the flour
you a lot of money.
mixture and beat until flour is blended in,

Invest in Teflon or Silpat baking liners and
about 30 seconds. Do not over beat.
you will never have to wash a cookie sheet
5. Using a teaspoon, scoop up a rounded
again. Just wipe them clean and they can
spoon of dough and cover it with pignoli.
be used over and over again.
Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
Wash sticky dough off your hands and keep
I like to bake the cookies one sheet at a time.
them clean.
It takes more time but I think they are more
6. Bake the cookies 18 to 25 minutes,
evenly done. Although many recipes call for
depending if you like them soft or chewy.
reversing the sheets, top to bottom and front
Cool 1 minute before removing them from the
to back, I don’t like to leave the oven door
pan. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
open that long.
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