Pignoli Cookies
on Dec 07, 2023
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These gorgeous Pignoli Cookies are a tradition in every Italian household. Made from a few simple ingredients, they are even naturally gluten-free. So let’s take a journey to 🇮🇹 Italy with my easy and delicious Pignoli Cookies recipe! These traditional Italian almond cookies are coated in crunchy pine nuts and they strike the perfect balance between chewy and crispy.
Why You’ll Love Pignoli Cookies
You’re going to fall in love with my Pignoli Cookies for their minimal ingredients and effortless prep. These beautiful cookies 🍪have the perfect blend of richness from the almond paste and crunch from the pine nuts. You’ll enjoy a hassle-free baking experience, that will give you a chewy inside and crispy outside. Whether you’re making these for a special occasion or a simple treat, these cookies bring the joy of authentic Italian flavor to your fingertips. Buon appetito!
How to Prepare
🔥 Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
🔪 Open the almond paste tube, cut it into pieces or break it apart, and then process it in a food processor until it’s fully broken apart.
🌟 Take the food processor lid off and add the sugars (granulated and powdered) and process until combined.
🥚 Finally, add the egg whites, salt, and almond extract and process until a sticky, cookie-like batter forms (it will be a lot like a paste). Add almond flour a little at a time if it’s too thin.
🍪 Take a mini ice cream scoop or a measuring spoon and roll the dough into balls and then dip each ball into the pine nuts.
🥛 Place them on the baking sheet and gently press down with the flat side of a measuring cup or the bottom of a mug.
♨️ Bake for about 16-20 minutes, depending on the oven, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden.
❄️ Let the cookies cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. Enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip
If the almond cookie batter is too loose you can add 1/4 cup of almond flour at a time until a tacky dough forms. Sometimes the consistency of the batter depends on how big/small the egg white is.
Variations and Substitutions for Pignoli Cookies
You can certainly mix and match these variations based on your preferences, dietary needs, or the occasion. Enjoy the creative process of making these Pignoli Cookies your own!
- Feel free to add a bit of ground cinnamon or nutmeg to the dough.
- Swap out the pine nuts for other nuts such as chopped almonds, 🌰 hazelnuts, or pistachios.
- You could drizzle the cookies with melted dark or white 🍫 chocolate after baking.
- If you’re looking for added flavor, you could include some finely grated orange or 🍋lemon zest in the cookie dough.
- Add some festive sprinkles to your cookies for Christmas 🎄 or other holidays.
Other Holiday Cookies
My 3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies are simple and delicious as well!
Italian Amaretti Cookies
25 mins
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
3 hrs 23 mins
3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
20 mins
Common Questions
Depending on the size of your egg, the cookie batter may be too loose, so you can add 1/4 cup of almond flour at a time until a tacky dough forms.
Store Pignoli Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze them for about 2-3 months.
You can get almond paste at your local grocery store. It is also sold on Amazon or other online retailers.
Baking the cookies for an extended period will yield a crispier texture, and they will continue to firm up further as time passes post-baking. To achieve soft and chewy Pignoli Cookies, I recommend baking them until the pine nuts just begin to take on a golden hue or the cookies have lightly golden bottoms.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
Pignoli Cookies
Ingredients
- 7 ounces almond paste
- ⅓ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg-white , medium
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract, optional
- 1 cup pine nuts , for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Open the almond paste tube, cut it into pieces or break it apart, and then process it in a food processor until it’s fully broken apart.
- NOTE: I purchased mine at the grocery store but the one I linked is the exact same brand I used. Be careful when purchasing on Amazon though as the quality is not always the same. I would recommend getting almond paste at the grocery store.
- Take the food processor lid off and add the sugars (granulated and powdered) and process until combined.
- Finally, add the egg whites, salt, and almond extract and process until a sticky, cookie-like batter forms (it will be a lot like a paste). You should be able to roll it into a ball.
- NOTE: If the batter is too thin (this can happen depending on the size of the egg) add a little bit of almond flour at a time to the food processor until you have the right consistency.
- Take a mini ice cream scoop or a measuring spoon and roll the dough into balls and then dip each ball into the pine nuts. I make sure my palms are wet so that the cookies don't stick and roll easily.
- Place the cookies on the baking sheet and gently press down with the flat side of a measuring cup or my hand. I make sure that my palm or measuring cup is a bit wet so that the cookies don't stick to you as you press.
- Bake for about 16-20 minutes, depending on the oven, until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. Enjoy!
Nonna’s Notes
- Flavor swaps: Feel free to add a bit of ground cinnamon or nutmeg to the dough. You could also include some finely grated orange or lemon zest in the cookie dough.
- Go nuts: Swap out the pine nuts for other nuts such as chopped almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios.
- Add chocolate: You could drizzle the cookies with melted dark or white chocolate after baking.
- Holiday themes: Use any kind of seasonal sprinkles to match the time of year – Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was absolutely delicious, will definitely make it again.
Thank you, Iliana. I’m so happy you enjoyed them ❤️!
My family loved these! Will be making these again and again!
These cookies were SO GOOD! If you haven’t tried these, you need to!
Can these be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the dough or the baked cookies once they’ve cooled. Enjoy! ❤️
Cookies flattened while baking and end up more like chewy pralines than cookies. They were stuck to the parchment paper and I had to freeze them to get them off. Very disappointed
So sorry to hear, Donna! Sometimes the size of the egg white can affect the consistency. If the batter is too thin, try adding a little bit of almond flour to the food processor. This will help firm up the dough. 💕
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
YAY! Thanks for rating the recipe Laina 🥹
I just made these, they’re delicious even if sweet! Everyone loves them but just fyi the measurements for the weight doesn’t multiply when you press to double the ingredients. I noticed as I was making luckily so I corrected but just double check 😊✌️
Thank you Nay! Yes, the doubling of metric weight is one of the website improvements we’re looking to make on TMN.com in the New Year! Thanks for your comment; so glad you loved them 💗