Pignoli Cookies - Twiins Style
Every year we start our holiday baking about 2 weeks before Christmas. We have been baking together for over 40 years, a holiday tradition we love. Christmas music is playing in the background while we reminisce about our childhood & Christmas's of long ago. Our all-time favorite holiday cookie is the fragrant, chewy almond Pignoli cookie. Pignolias (aka pine nuts) are from the Italian Stone Pine trees of the Meditteranean regions of Spain, Portugal & Italy. The Asian pignolias from China are not as flavorful as the Meditteranean pignolias so we avoid using them. You can tell they are from China by their much cheaper price tag. Our pignoli cookies taste just like the ones from the best Italian bakeries in New York. They fly off the holiday cookie tray...you and your family will love them. ❤️❤️
Ingredients
- 1 (8oz) box or can of almond paste (do not use almond filling)
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup Mediterranean Pignolias
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup unsifted Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Confectioners’ sugar for light dusting
Directions
- Using a Convection oven, preheat the oven to 275ºF. (If using a regular oven increase temperature to 300ºF.)
- Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper or a silicone pad or grease 2 large cookie sheets if parchment paper or silicone pad isn’t an option.
- Sift granulated sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar with flour and salt. Set aside.
- Using a fork, break up the almond paste into small pieces in a medium bowl. Add egg whites and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed, until well blended and smooth.
- With a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until well blended.
- Using a teaspoon of dough, roll into a round ball approximately 1-inch diameter. Roll the ball around in the dish with pignoli nuts to cover. Place 2-inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Do not flatten.
- Bake slowly for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on your oven, until golden. The edges of the cookies should be golden but the tops will be lighter.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet.
- When cooled, lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar or leave plain. Either way, they are delicious.
- Store several days in a tightly covered container to mellow. These will keep for up to 2 weeks if stored properly.
Notes: Variations
1. Press half a candied cherry or maraschino cherry in the center of each cookie.
2. Using your thumb or index finger coated in confectioner’s sugar, make a thumbprint in the center and fill it with a small amount of raspberry preserves.
3. Roasted, salted pistachios can be used in place of pignolias. Bake as above.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below or Tag @twiinsinthekitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #twiinsinthekitchen.
OMG I can smell them as if I were in the bakery. I’m going to give them a try. If I can’t get Mediterranean pignolis will the ines from China work?
You can use the pignolias from China but they are not as flavorful or as big as the ones from the Mediterranean region, however, if the cost is prohibitive by all means use them. It’s the almond flavor that comes through. You could also use sliced almonds or roasted pistachios in place of the pignolias. Let us know how you like them. Happy baking.
My absolutely favorite Italian cookie!! Love them!! I’m going to make these for sure.
Nancy, so happy you’re going to make these. You will love them for sure! Please give us your feedback after making them.
I love,love,love these cookies! I never made them before because I thought they would be too complicated but your recipe looks easy enough for me. They look so good.
Diane these are very easy to make. Make several batches as they do fly off the cookie platter! Thanks for giving them a try and give us your feedback.
These cookies Do taste just like the bakery cookies! I was really surprised at how easy they are to make. I found pine nuts in my grocery store in a small jar so I bought them. Not sure where they were from but the cookies were delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love your blog.
Thank you. We’re so happy you tried our pignoli cookies and like them. Knowing our followers like our recipes is very rewarding to both of us. We greatly appreciate your kind words and support.