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! Well, here you got the reason why I have some Pignoli Cookies 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).
Here are some more cookie recipes for you to try…
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
NY Style Pumpkin Pie Spice Pecan White Chocolate Cookies
Easy Carrot Cake Cookies
Chewy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crumbl-y Churro Cookies
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(about 14 cookies)
7 oz. (200g) almond paste* or marzipan (for baking)*
2/3 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar*
1 large egg white
1 tbsp. honey (from local sources)
1/4 tsp. salt
3.5-5 oz. (100-140g) pine nuts*
(etwa 14 Cookies)
200g Mandelpaste* oder Marzipanrohmasse*
90g Puderzucker*
1 Eiweiß (L)
1 EL Honig (von lokalen Produzenten)
1/4 TL Salz
100-140g Pinienkerne*
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). 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.
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.
3. Bake the cookies for about 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.
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen. Die Mandelpaste oder Marzipan in eine große Schüssel bröckeln und mit dem Puderzucker verrühren, bis sich eine sandige Masse bildet – ähnlich wie Semmelbrösel. Je nachdem, ob Mandelpaste oder Marzipan verwendet wird, ist die Masse trockener oder etwas feucht. Eiweiß, Honig und Salz dazugeben und zu einem glatten (klebrigen) Teig verarbeiten.
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.
3. Die Teiglinge mit etwas Abstand zueinander auf das Blech setzen und dann für etwa 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.
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Classic Italian Pignoli Cookies
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:17
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 14 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: -
- Cuisine: Italy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These are typical Italian cookies from Sicily called Pignoli. Made with almond paste and pine nuts. A really nice treat with some coffee on the side.
Ingredients
7 oz. (200g) almond paste* or marzipan (for baking)*
2/3 cup (90g) confectioners‘ sugar*
1 large egg white
1 tbsp. honey (from local sources)
1/4 tsp. salt
3.5-5 oz. (100-140g) pine nuts*
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). 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.
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.
3. Bake the cookies for about 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!
Links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links (advertising/Werbung) to Amazon Germany. If you click on one of those links and buy something via this link, I will get a commission for that sale. The price of whatever you buy is not affected in any way by this.
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.