Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Pignoli Cookies have a crunchy, nutty exterior and the most perfect, soft & chewy inside with almond flavor in every bite. They are made with almond paste, sugar, salt, pine nuts, and an optional dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy these classic, Italian cookies at Christmas time or any time of the year that you have a craving! (makes 38 cookies, vegetarian, gluten-free)

Pignoli Cookies

Hi Everyone, these Pignoli cookies are a delight to have during the holidays, a special event, or any time of the year you crave these special cookies.

These sweet, almond-infused cookies (also, sometimes referred to as "Amaretti cookies") are delicious with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

They are surprisingly easy to make right in your food processor, with the following ingredients:

Ingredients

• 16 (454 grams) almond paste
• 1 ½ cups (298 grams) of granulated white sugar
• 3 (90 grams) large egg whites, divided - you can have 2 egg whites together but reserve the last one for getting the cookie dough texture right
• ½ teaspoon Iodized salt (fine salt)
• 7 ounces (198 grams) of raw, unsalted pine nuts
• Optional: powdered (confectioner's) sugar
• Optional: Canola cookie spray - for greasing the small cookie scoop

Kitchen Tools

• a food processor - this makes this recipe a snap and I would consider it essential for getting the right texture when breaking up the almond paste and making the cookie dough
• measuring spoons and cups
• 2-cup wet measure - use this for the eggs when pouring into the cookie dough
• mixing bowls for ingredients
• baking spatula
• parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s) - I prefer a silicone baking mat
• rimmed baking sheet(s) - I use 3-4 for this recipe but you can rotate with just one, I recommend cooking 1 cookie sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven to get an even golden color
• wire cooling rack or trivets for cooling the cookies completely

How to Make Pignoli Cookies

Step 1

Preparation: Pleace the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Put the pine nuts in a shallow bowl for rolling the dough balls, set aside, for later. Line 2-4 rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

Make the dough: In your food processor, add 1-inch pieces of the almond paste, along with all the sugar, salt and pulse until it's blended and uniform (about 30-35 seconds). Partway through pulsing, you may need to use a spatula to turn over the cookie dough from the bottom to the top. The right texture will resemble cornmeal.

Add ⅔ of the egg whites and pulse until combined, reserve the remaining egg white to add to get the right texture. You want the dough to be wet and sticky (to help adhere the pine nuts to the outside).

Step 2

Form the cookies: Using a small cookie scoop (2 teaspoons) scoop the cookie dough balls and stage them on the prepped baking sheets. You can place the dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 mins, to make the sticky dough easier to handle, if needed, before rolling. Roll each dough ball in the pine nuts. They need to be on the top of the cookie and not underneath, keep that in mind to make the precious (and expensive!) pine nuts last for all the cookies. You can experiment also with leaving some of to cookies without pine nuts if you have some picky eaters in the house! Make sure to space the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet (please note that if many cookies are crowded on the sheet, it will add to the baking time).

Bake the cookies: Bake the cookie sheet for 15-18 minutes on the middle rack in the preheated oven. I recommend baking 1 sheet at a time to get the cookies perfectly golden and even in color – this does take longer but yields better results. When the cookies are done baking, allow them to cool completely before eating or storing them. The cookies are set up as they cool. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Use a food processor - this makes this recipe a snap and I would consider it essential for getting the right texture when breaking up the almond paste and making the cookie dough
• Use a cookie scoop - use a small cookie scoop to get perfect even cookies,
• Space out the cookies on the baking sheet - these cookies puff up as they bake, spread them out to 4 baking sheets, or just rotate baking them with what you have. The more cookie dough balls are on a sheet, the longer the baking time.
• Cool the cookies - make sure that the cookies are completely cool before removing them from the silicone baking mats, after they are removed from the oven, they are still setting as they cool.
• Try them without pine nuts - These cookies are wonderful without the pine nuts, making a delicious Almond Macaroon or Amaretti cookie, in fact, we have some family members that prefer them without the nuts

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If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

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Continue to Content

Pignoli Cookies

Yield: 36 cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Pignoli Cookies have a crunchy, nutty exterior and the most perfect, soft & chewy inside with almond flavor in every bite. They are made with almond paste, sugar, salt, pine nuts, and an optional dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy these classic, Italian cookies at Christmas time or any time of the year that you have a craving! (makes 38 cookies, vegetarian, gluten-free)

Print

Ingredients

• 16 (454 grams) almond paste
• 1 ½ cups (298 grams) of granulated white sugar
• 3 (90 grams) large egg whites, divided – you can have 2 egg whites together but reserve the last one for getting the cookie dough texture right
• ½ teaspoon Iodized salt (fine salt)
• 7 ounces (198 grams) of raw, unsalted pine nuts
• Optional: powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
• Optional: Canola cookie spray – for greasing the small cookie scoop

Instructions

1. Preparation: Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Put the pine nuts in a shallow bowl for rolling the dough balls, and set aside, for later. Line 2-4 rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper
2. Make the dough: In your food processor, add 1-inch pieces of the almond paste, along with all the sugar, salt, and pulse until it’s blended and uniform (about 30-35 seconds). Partway through pulsing, you may need to use a spatula to turn over the cookie dough from the bottom to the top. The right texture will resemble cornmeal.
3. Form the cookies: Using a small cookie scoop (2 teaspoons) scoop the cookie dough balls and stage them on the prepped baking sheets. You can place the dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 mins, to make the sticky dough easier to handle, if needed, before rolling. Roll each dough ball in the pine nuts. They need to be on the top of the cookie and not underneath, keep that in mind to make the precious (and expensive!) pine nuts last for all the cookies. You can experiment also with leaving some of to cookies without pine nuts if you have some picky eaters in the house! Make sure to space the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet (please note that if many cookies are crowded on the sheet, it will add to the baking time).
4. Bake the cookies: Bake the cookie sheet for 15-18 minutes on the middle rack in the preheated oven. I recommend baking 1 sheet at a time to get the cookies perfectly golden and even in color – this does take longer but yields better results. When the cookies are done baking, allow them to cool completely before eating or storing them. The cookies are set up as they cool. Enjoy!

Notes

Use a food processor – this makes this recipe a snap and I would consider it essential for getting the right texture when breaking up the almond paste and making the cookie dough

Use a cookie scoop – use a small cookie scoop to get perfect even cookies,

Space out the cookies on the baking sheet – these cookies puff up as they bake, spread them out to 4 baking sheets, or just rotate baking them with what you have. The more cookie dough balls are on a sheet, the longer the baking time.

Cool the cookies – make sure that the cookies are completely cool before removing them from the silicone baking mats, after they are removed from the oven, they are still setting as they cool.

Try them without pine nuts – These cookies are wonderful without the pine nuts, making a delicious Almond Macaroon or Amaretti cookie, in fact, we have some family members that prefer them without the nuts

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 38 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 17Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 39mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best. If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe!

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• Recipe photographed: 12/10/2022
• First Published: 12/12/2022
• Updated & republished: 12/7/2024

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community.

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