Pignoli cookies are a dreamy Sicilian dessert that includes an almond paste dough that’s rolled into balls, coated in pine nuts, and baked. The ensuing cookies are gentle, chewy, candy, nutty, and completely irresistible.
Trying to break away out of your normal cookie routine? These pignoli cookies are your reply. Made up of almond paste, sugar, egg white, orange zest, and almond extract, the dough is formed into two chunk sized balls, rolled in pine nuts, and baked. The ultimate product is a splendidly gentle, chewy cookie that sings with the standout candy nuttiness of almonds and pine nuts with simply the right trace of citrus. End ’em off with a dusting of powdered sugar and also you’re in for an actual deal with.
Why We Love This Cookie Recipe
- Nice taste. The pure candy nuttiness of the almond paste and the toasty pine nuts mingle with a delicate twist of citrus for the right taste combo.
- Chewy texture. I really like the slight crunch of the outside of those cookies, which supplies technique to a wealthy, chewy middle.
- Fast and simple. Throw some components in a blender, roll the dough into balls, roll the balls in pine nuts, and bake. That’s it! It doesn’t get a lot simpler.
What Are Pignoli Cookies
Pignoli cookies are a traditional Italian dessert made out of almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. A touch of citrus is usually thrown into the batter as properly. The cookies are shaped into little balls, coated in pine nuts (pignoli), and baked. The result’s a candy, nutty, chewy cookie that’s nearly unattainable to withstand.
Pignoli Cookies Elements
- Almond paste: You will discover almond paste in most grocery shops, however should you can’t, it’s fairly simple to make your individual with blanched almond flour, powdered sugar, egg white, and almond extract. See the notes part of the recipe card under for the recipe.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg whites: It’s all the time greatest to begin with room-temperature egg whites. They may combine extra easily and simply with the opposite components.
- Orange zest: You may use lemon zest as a substitute. I counsel utilizing a tad much less, nevertheless.
- Salt
- Pine nuts: You’ll need to use uncooked pine nuts.
- Powdered sugar is non-compulsory, but it surely brings a stunning aesthetic to the completed product.
Methods to Make Pignoli Cookies
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix. In a meals processor, mix collectively the almond paste, sugar, egg whites, orange zest, and salt till clean.
- Kind cookies. Kind the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and roll the dough balls within the pine nuts, urgent them evenly into the dough.
- Bake. Prepare the dough balls on the ready cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
- Cool. Enable the cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes or so earlier than transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Mud. As soon as absolutely cooled, mud the cookies with powdered sugar.
Ideas For Success
- Break up the almond paste. Break the almond paste into items earlier than including it to the meals processor as a result of if the clumps are too giant, it gained’t mix correctly.
- Get the moisture content material proper. Retailer-bought almond paste can range in moisture content material. In case your almond paste is sort of moist, you may want rather less egg white. Add a little bit of egg white at a time to get the proper consistency. You need the dough to come back collectively however you don’t need it to be so sticky you may’t deal with it.
- Chill (if wanted). If the dough comes out of the meals processor heat from the movement of the blades and/or is overly gentle, go forward and pop it within the fridge for 15 to half-hour to make it simpler to work with.
- Moist your palms. Moist your palms barely earlier than rolling the dough into balls. It’ll make it simpler to work with.
- Even dimension. Maintain your dough balls to about 2 inches in diameter. Making certain the cookies are as shut as attainable to the identical dimension will assist to bake them evenly.
- Don’t overbake. The cookies will appear very gentle once they come out of the oven. You need them that manner. They may agency up as they cool. In case you overbake them, they are going to dry out.
Correct Storage
As soon as the cookies have cooled to room temperature, seal them in an hermetic container. They may maintain at room temperature for as much as 1 week or within the freezer for as much as 3 months. I don’t advocate storing pignoli cookies within the fridge – they are going to dry out.
Extra Cookies To Strive
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Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Mix. Add the almond paste, sugar, egg whites, orange zest, and salt to a meals processor or blender and mix till clean.
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Kind cookies. Kind the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls.
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Coat in pine nuts. Pour the pine nuts right into a bowl and roll every dough ball within the pine nuts, utilizing your palms to press them evenly into the dough.
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Bake. Prepare the dough balls on the ready cookie sheet with about 1 ½ inches of house between every dough ball and bake for 12 minutes.
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Cool. Take away from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes or so earlier than transferring them to a cooling rack.
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Mud. As soon as absolutely cooled, mud the cookies with powdered sugar and serve.
- Break the almond paste into small items earlier than processing; giant clumps gained’t mix properly.
- For simpler dealing with, chill the dough for 15 to half-hour if it’s too heat or gentle after mixing it within the meals processor.
- Barely moist your palms to roll the dough into balls.
- Kind dough balls about 2 inches in diameter for even baking.
- Keep away from overbaking; cookies will agency up as they cool and needs to be gentle when faraway from the oven.
ALMOND PASTE RECIPE:
In case you can’t discover almond paste, you can also make your individual. You will want the next components:
- 168 grams of blanched almond flour
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 well-beaten egg white
- A splash of almond extract
- A touch of salt
Add all the components to a meals processor and mix till clean.
Serving: 1 cookie | Energy: 143 kcal | Carbohydrates: 15 g | Protein: 3 g | Fats: 9 g | Saturated Fats: 1 g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3 g | Monounsaturated Fats: 4 g | Sodium: 44 mg | Potassium: 92 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 13 g | Vitamin A: 4 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 28 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range in response to the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
