My preference, pignoli, are of a spongier, springy sort of sweet. They couldn't be simpler to make. The only hang up, really, is the skyrocketing price of pine nuts these days. Trader Joe's is the best place to find them at the cheapest price. But "cheap" is no longer a word that belongs in the same sentence as "pine nuts." One must also be wary of the country of origin when purchasing pine nuts. Those of a substantially lesser quality come from China. Go figure.
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich's Pignoli (Almond Cookies with Pine Nuts)
- Butter, softened for the pans, if using
- 1 pound canned almond paste
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or grease them lightly. Crumble the almond paste into a mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until crumbled fine. Sprinkle the sugar over the almond paste while continuing to beat, until the sugar is incorporated. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, and continue beating until the dough is smooth.
Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough into a ball between your palms. Drop the dough ball onto the plate of pine nuts. When you have formed several dough balls, roll them in the pine nuts to coat lightly on all sides. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, and press them lightly to slightly flatten them and help the pine nuts adhere to the cookies. Repeat with the remaining batter and pine nuts.
Bake the cookies until lightly browned and soft and springy, about 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely on wire racks before serving. The cookies can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week.
Note: If you don't want to pay the premium for pine nuts, another type of nut is an option. As the photo indicates, I ran out and had to used chopped almonds to finish the batch.
Note: If you don't want to pay the premium for pine nuts, another type of nut is an option. As the photo indicates, I ran out and had to used chopped almonds to finish the batch.