Over the past couple of years (since I am writing this blog and publishing recipes) it often happened that friends gave me little gifts from their travels abroad. Little sweet treats and baked stuff from all over the world. You could think “Oh how nice – they wanted to show what cool stuff they have in other countries and give you a nice gift”. Well… it’s actually more like “Hey I got this XX from XY and it tastes so nice. You should try. Maybe that’s something for your blog since you like to bake and do such stuff”. Sure ;) What should I do with the leftovers? Oh, I should give them to you at the end? Of course! :P Well… here you got the reason why I have some Pignoli from Italy for you today.
I am actually not complaining. I love it when people think of me and get me little gifts… but it is a bit “obvious” sometimes ;) Being able to try authentic Pignoli was something really nice though. I would have never thought of using pine nuts for cookies. So this is kind of a first for me. I used pine nuts for pesto of course and roasted pine nuts on top of some dishes but only once or twice for bakes. Maybe because they are quite a bit expensive here ;)
If you look at the dough it’s similar to the dough of Almond Marzipan Crescents – a classic German Bake you can find in many bakeries. It’s basically marzipan (or better almond paste), sugar and egg whites. Sweet and sticky. Instead of the almonds, the Italians use pine nuts to cover the cookies. Really delicious. The cookies are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. If you store them in a cookie box in a dry and cool place they last pretty long (if you can resist not eating them all at once).
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
7 oz. (200g) almond paste or marzipan
2/3 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg white
1 tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 – 2 cups (100-140g) pine nuts
200g Mandelpaste oder Marzipan
90g Puderzucker
1 Eiweiß (L)
1 EL Honig
1/4 TL Salz
100-140g Pinienkerne
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the pine nuts to a small bowl. Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop dough portions into that bowl, roll in the pine nuts until covered completely then place with enough space in between on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown and firm. Take out of the oven and let cool down on the baking sheet until you can move them, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
2. Die Pinienkerne in eine kleine, flache Schüssel geben. Mit einem kleinen Cookie Scoop oder Esslöffeln nacheinander Teigportionen in die Pinienkerne fallen lassen und darin wenden, bis der Teig komplett mit den Kernen bedeckt ist. Mit etwas Abstand zueinander auf das Blech setzen und dann für 15-17 Minuten backen. Die Cookies sollten eine schöne goldene Farbe bekommen haben und nicht mehr so weich sein. Aus dem Ofen holen und erst auf dem Blech abkühlen lassen, sobald man sie bewegen kann, auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen. Mit dem restlichen Teig wiederholen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Pignoli Cookies
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 17
- Total Time: 60
- Yield: 14 1x
Description
Typical Italian cookies from Sicily called Pignoli. Made with almond paste or marzipan and pine nuts. A really nice treat with your next espresso or coffee.
Ingredients
- 7 oz. (200g) almond paste or marzipan
- 2/3 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups (100-140g) pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Crumble the almond paste or marzipan into a large bowl and mix with the confectioners’ sugar until you get a breadcrumb-like texture. If you use almond paste it is probably drier and with marzipan a bit moister. Add the egg white, honey, and salt and mix until you get a nice smooth (yet sticky) dough.
- Add the pine nuts to a small bowl. Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop dough portions into that bowl, roll in the pine nuts until covered completely then place with enough space in between on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown and firm. Take out of the oven and let cool down on the baking sheet until you can move them, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!
I was visiting family and did not have my recipe with me for pignoli cookies. I did a searh and liked the sound of your recipe. That little addition of flour made all the difference and everyone loved them. I am ditching my recipe….and that does not often happen. Thanks.