Pignoli cookies are naturally gluten free almond-flavored cookies. They are crunchy on the outside, super chewy inside and so addictive. A luxurious addition to your holiday table!
WHAT IS PIGNOLI COOKIE?
Pignoli (which means pine nuts in Italian) are popular cookies in the South of Italy. They are made of almond flour, sugar, egg whites and coated in pine nuts. They will be perfect for any holiday.
PIGNOLI COOKIES WITHOUT ALMOND PASTE
I know so many people who love baking but have never tried pignoli because these cookies are quite pricey and seem so fancy. Yes, they can be expensive if you resort to almond paste which costs a small fortune in the supermarkets.
The good news is that my recipe doesn't call for almond paste, I use almond flour instead that is cheaper. I also found that almond flour helps to achieve a deeper almond flavor and you can control the sweetness.
HOW TO MAKE ALMOND PASTE AT HOME?
You can make almond paste at home if you wish and save money. You will need 1 cup almond flour, ½ cup powder sugar, 1 egg white and 1/ 4 almond extract.
Combine all the ingredients, roll into a log, cover with plastic and refrigerate if not ready to use.
PIGNOLI COOKIES CALORIES
You probably want to know how pignoli cookies fit into your daily diet.
Almond flour has less carbs than wheat flour , but it has more fat which means almond flour is higher in calories than all-purpose flour. Below is the nutritional information for this pignoli cookies recipe.
Cal-170
Fat (g)-10
Sat Fat(g)-1
Chol (mg)-0
Carb (g)- 18
Protein (g)-4
Fiber ( g)-2
Sodium (mg)-5
WHY ARE MY PIGNOLI COOKIES FLAT?
It is so disappointing to get flat pignoli! My kids have no trouble eating ugly-looking cookies, however they’re definitely not for the friends and potluck parties.
Here are some tips to get perfect pignoli every time.
- Don't use extra sugar. Sugar tends to liquefy when heated. Extra sugar=extra liquid. As a result your cookies will spread and become flat in the oven. I advise to use a measuring cup to measure all the ingredients correctly.
- Wrong oven temperature can make your cookies spread as well. Preheat you oven to 375 F/190 C and make sure the temperature is right before putting the cookies in the oven.
HOW TO MAKE PIGNOLI COOKIES
PIGNOLI COOKIES WITH ALMOND FLOUR
Ingredients
- Almond flour- 1 ⅔ cup
- Powder sugar - 1 ⅓ cup/ 9 ⅓ ounces
- Egg whites- 2
- Pine nuts- 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F/190 C with the rack in the lower-middle position. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl combine almond flour, powder sugar and egg whites. The dough will be wet.
- Place pine nuts in a shallow dish.
- Take 1 tbsp. of dough at a time and roll into a ball, roll in pine nuts to coat and press to flatten. Repeat with the remaining dough.Transfer onto the baking sheet. Space 2 inch between the cookies on the sheet.
- Bake cookies until light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
These cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 4-6 days.
* Don't toast the pine nuts since they will be toasted as the cookies bake.
Nutrition
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Generation786 says
Its very dilicious recepie i have ever seen, what a cookie you made i suggest everyone try this out for guests,
Lubna Arja says
I just made these cookies, came out great, very delicious. Very simple ingredients yet great flavours. Thank you Tati.
chefjar says
Thank you, Lubna! I am very happy you like them!😊