The Italian pignoli cookie recipe is a luxury treat to enjoy. The soft and chewy cookies are loaded with nutty flavors. The fusion of almond paste and pine nuts makes them a perfect Italian dessert. Master the art of Italian baking tradition with this easy and traditional pignoli cookie recipe.
Pignoli Cookie Recipe
Pignoli cookies also known as pignolata or pine nuts cookies are traditional cookies that are made in Italy and often served at weddings, festivals and holidays. The word pignoli means Pine nuts in which these cookies are rolled in. The origin of pignoli cookies is traced back to Southern Italy cuisine, especially from the region of Sicily and Calabria.
The sticky almond dough rolled in pine nuts, makes them crunchy outside and chewy inside. Traditional Italian pignoli cookies are gluten-free and have simple ingredients like almond paste, egg whites, pine nuts, and sugar. However, the modern variation may include lemon zest, vanilla or almond extract and cinnamon.
Today I am sharing a traditional Italian pignoli cookie recipe that is made from simple ingredients. However, I am going to make these delicious cookies with homemade almond paste.
Pignoli cookies are an expensive treat so, I decided to make them at home and save some bucks. And when it comes to saving money I am ready to make homemade almond paste. It not only comes with a homemade and traditional flavor but also helps me create a perfect balance of sweetness in my recipe.
What You Will Need
For Almond Paste
Almond paste is a staple in Italian desserts but its origin dates back to ancient China and Turkey during the Ottoman Empire.
Almonds: I am using a combo of almond flour and blanched almonds to make almond paste. In this way, it will be more flavorful. While making the almond paste the almond flour and honey syrup ratio plays an important part. If your dough is loose then you can add more almond flour and if it gets hard then feel free to add honey syrup into the dough.
Honey: Store-bought almond paste is made with liquid sweetener ( corn syrup) that makes it too sweet. Some brands don’t use liquid sweeteners but they will make your cookies dry. To solve both of these problems I came up with an alternative that is honey. Honey will add sweetness to the almond paste and it acts as a binding agent, It also helps in achieving a golden crust after baking the cookies.
Sugar: Sugar honey and water all together will replace the liquid sweetener and make our homemade almond paste a perfect balance of sweet and nutty kick.
Butter: I am using butter while kneading the almond paste dough, so it will be less sticky and easy to handle.
For Pignoli Cookies
Almond Paste: Almond paste is a primary ingredient in pingoli cookies that adds a chewy texture to cookies. I am using homemade almond paste you can use store-bought paste for the recipe. The quality of almond paste affects the texture and taste of cookies. I tried these cookies with store-bought almond paste but they turned out too sweet and they didn’t get golden baked color. They were also drier and not chewy. So that’s why I am using my homemade almond paste.
Pine Nuts: Pine nuts add a crunchy texture to the top of the cookies. It enhances the nutty flavor of cookies. Although these are expensive nuts don’t waste even a single nut.
Egg Whites: Egg whites will make the pingoli cookies airy and light. It will prevent the cookies from drying and moisture from egg whites will make them tender. To raise the cookies and make them fluffy I like to whip the egg whites. Egg whites act as a binding agent in pingoli cookies.
Sugar: Sugar is responsible for Millard’s reaction while baking cookies, it will play a part in the browning of cookies during baking.
Step By Step Directions
Preparing Almond Paste
Step1- Grind Almonds:
- Firstly, add blanched almonds to a food processor.
- Grind them to make a fine powder.
Step2- Prepare Honey Syrup:
- Secondly, in a saucepan pour water, and sugar.
- Put it over a medium flame and add honey.
- Let them dissolve to make a syrup.
Step3- Combine Syrup and Almonds:
- Add the warm honey syrup to the almond powder.
- Then pulse the food processor to make a smooth mixture.
- Gradually add almond flour until a sticky dough is formed.
Step4- Knead the Dough:
- Take out the dough in a bowl and let it rest to cool down.
- Then add butter and knead the dough until the stickiness goes away.
- Wrap it in a cling film and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
Making Pignoli Cookies
Step1- Prepare the Dough:
- In a food processor, add homemade almond paste and sugar.
- Pulse the processor to make a coarse mixture.
- In a bowl whisk two egg whites and pour them into a food processor.
- Start the processor until a sticky dough is formed.
Step2- Make Cookie Balls:
- Scoop out the dough with a small ice cream scoop and shape them into 2-inch balls.
- Make as many balls as you can and set them on a tray.
Step3- Roll in Pine Nuts:
- Then in a plate spread pine nuts.
- Then one by one roll the balls in pine nuts.
- Finally, take a baking tray with baking paper and set these balls on the tray.
Step4- Bake the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Then bake the cookies for 15 minutes on the center rack.
- After 15 minutes take out the baking tray and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
- Then place the cookies on a wire rack to cool down.
- You can sprinkle powdered sugar on cookies once they are cool.
Tips That Will Help
- Put the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
- Place the cookies in a baking tray with 2 inches of space, as they will rise during baking.
- Wet your hands while shaping the dough into balls to avoid stickiness.
- Use an airtight container for storing cookies.
- Overbaked cookies will turn out crispy rather than chewy.
- Don’t use marzipan as a substitute for almond paste.
- If you are using store-bought almond paste, go with brick almond paste instead of tube one.
- You can use almond extract for a rich almond flavor.
- Once all your cookies are on a baking tray, slightly tap them to flatten.
- Use medium size eggs for the recipe, if the egg content is less the cookies may turn dry, if you are using higher egg content then it may get sticky.
FAQ’s
How to store pignoli cookies?
Before storing the pignoli cookies, make sure they are completely cooled down. Then store them in layers in an airtight container. Use a butter paper between each layer. In this way, you can store cookies for a week at room temperature. You can also freeze them for a longer time. Thaw the frozen cookies on the kitchen countertop overnight before using.
Can I make the pignoli cookie recipe ahead?
Yes, you can make these delicious cookies ahead of time, by making a cookie dough or shaping in a cookie ball. You can easily store the dough or cookie balls, just wrap the dough in a cling film to protect it from moisture and store it in the freezer or refrigerator. Then you can freshly bake them after thawing.
How to balance the sweetness in a pignoli cookie recipe?
You can easily balance the sweetness of cookies if you are using homemade almond paste. But if you are using store-bought paste then here is a solution you can add wheat flour or gluten-free flour to balance the sweetness. Reducing the amount of sugar and adding a pinch of salt will also help in balancing the sweetness.
Why is Pignoli expensive?
The pine nuts are cultivated from special species of pine trees and collecting them is a labor-intensive process. These nuts also need special climate conditions to mature along with all these factors pine nut production is specific to some regions that make it an expensive nut.
Can I substitute pine nuts in the pignoli cookie recipe?
Traditional Italian cookies have pine nuts in the recipe, but you can add variation by substituting it with cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts. You will experience a change in the flavor and texture of cookies by substituting the ingredients.
Can I use store-bought almond paste for the pignoli cookie recipe?
Yes, using a store-bought almond paste is an easy and time-saving option. However, make sure to adjust the sugar content in your recipe as store-bought almond paste has already high sugar content. Also, check the consistency of almond paste if the paste has loose or dense consistency then adjust it according to the recipe.
Can I substitute almond butter with marzipan?
Substituting almond paste with marzipan is not a good idea as both have quite differences. Marzipan has a high sugar content and a dense texture that will help in decorating cakes, and pastries. It will be more like a fondant, on the other hand, almond paste is soft and has less sugar content. So if you are using marzipan in cookies then you will not be able to achieve desired results.
Italian Pignoli Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
- Food Processor
Ingredients
For Almond Paste
- 1 Cup Almonds blanched
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Water
For Pignoli Cookies
- 1 Cup Almond Paste
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Medium Egg Whites
- 2/3 Cup Pine Nuts
Instructions
Preparing Almond Paste
- Firstly, add blanched almonds to a food processor.
- Grind them to make a fine powder.
- Secondly, in a saucepan pour water, and sugar.
- Put it over a medium flame and add honey.
- Let them dissolve to make a syrup.
- Add the warm honey syrup to the almond powder.
- Then pulse the food processor to make a smooth mixture.
- Gradually add almond flour until a sticky dough is formed.
- Take out the dough in a bowl and let it rest to cool down.
- Then add butter and knead the dough until the stickiness goes away.
- Wrap it in a cling film and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
Making Pignoli Cookies
- In a food processor, add homemade almond paste and sugar.
- Pulse the processor to make a coarse mixture.
- In a bowl whisk two egg whites and pour them into a food processor.
- Start the processor until a sticky dough is formed.
- Scoop out the dough with a small ice cream scoop and shape them into 2-inch balls.
- Make as many balls as you can and set them on a tray.
- Then in a plate spread pine nuts.
- Then one by one roll the balls in pine nuts.
- Finally, take a baking tray with baking paper and set these balls on the tray.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Then bake the cookies for 15 minutes on the center rack.
- After 15 minutes take out the baking tray and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
- Then place the cookies on a wire rack to cool down.
- You can sprinkle powdered sugar on cookies once they are cool.
