Italian Pignoli Cookies (Pine Nut Cookies)

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These pignoli cookies are a classic southern Italian favorite with a distinct almond flavor. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, pignoli, or pine nut, cookies, are kid friendly and take less than 30 minutes to make. Enjoy this easy recipe at holiday gatherings, or at any occasion.

Italian Pignoli Cookies (Pine Nut Cookies) close up.

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Pine Nut Cookies

Have you ever cooked with pine nuts? These small seeds have a sweet, nutty flavor and are often used in pesto or hummus, as well as in baked goods like this pignoli cookie recipe. As versatile as they are, pine nuts often tend to be expensive, as they are harvested by hand from wild trees, as opposed to being farmed. Pine trees take anywhere from 15-25 years to grow before they are able to produce the nuts, making them an especially sought-after ingredient.

Why This Almond Paste Pignoli Recipe is a Keeper

  • 25 Minutes: Prepping and baking these Italian cookies takes less than 30 minutes. And, the dough can be made ahead of time, too.
  • Family Friendly: Pignoli cookies are traditional, bringing generations together. Everyone loves this recipe.
  • Classic: This is a great dessert for December holidays, like Christmas. These cookies are made less sweet.
  • Gluten-Free: This cookie does not use flour, and is gluten free.

If you’re looking for more European Christmas cookie recipes, try these Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Norwegian Christmas Cookies, and Welsh Cookies.

Are Pignoli Nuts the Same as Pine Nuts?

A tray of the finished Christmas treats.

Yes. “Pignoli” is the Italian word for “pine nuts.” These cookies are popular in Sicily and Southern Italy, but you can also find them at Italian bakeries in the United States.

Ingredient Notes for Italian Pignoli Cookies Recipe

The nuts, flour sugar and eggs for the pine nut cookies.
  • Almond Paste: When selecting your ingredients, remember to get almond paste and not marzipan! They’re similar, but almond paste contains more almonds and provides more texture. While some use almond flour, this recipe sticks to the paste. You can find almond paste at your local grocery store, or make homemade almond paste instead.
  • Pine Nuts: The best place to find them at a good price is usually the big box stores. You will need 1 ¼ cup pine nuts for this recipe.
  • Egg Whites: Make sure you’re measuring your egg whites! Too little or too much egg white can lead to the dough being too dry or sticky. Use relatively large egg whites – about 30 grams each.

See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

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  • Nuts – If pine nuts are hard to find or too expensive, try almonds, cashews, walnuts or other nut variety.
  • Sweetener – A low calorie alternative can be great for these cookies.

Special Equipment Needed

  • Food Processor: Use a food processor to break up the almond paste.

How to Make Pignoli Cookies

These Italian pine nut cookies are sure to be a hit with your family. While the ingredients may not be commonplace, these delicious cookies are easy to make, so this pignoli recipe won’t take long at all.

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These are the basic steps for making Italian pine nut cookies. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.

Mixing the dough for the cookies.

Step 1: Prep the parchment-lined baking pan

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Next, break up the almond paste in a food processor. Add sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined. Then, add the egg whites until a sticky dough forms Transfer to a large bowl. Add the pine nuts to a separate small bowl. Dough will be wet.

Step 2: Roll and Place Pine Nut Cookies on Tray

Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough into 24 balls (rounded tablespoons) and then press the tops of the balls into the bowl of pine nuts. Place the coated balls, pine nut side up, onto the lined baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 15-18 minutes. Let them sit for 5 minutes to cool on the baking sheet before you transfer to a wire racks.

Step 3: Finish the authentic Italian Pignoli Cookies

Finally, once cooled, dust the cookies with confectioners’ powdered sugar. Store the pignoli cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe FAQs for the Almond Cookies

This recipe is already gluten free and dairy free. You can make it vegetarian by using an egg substitute when making the dough.

Using the egg whites provides the Italian pignoli cookies with moisture and not density. Egg yolk also masks the more subtle flavors in a pignoli cookie.

Harvesting pine nuts is a time-consuming process that involves drying pinecones for weeks, before crushing the cones and hand-removing the nuts from the pieces. The almond paste and pine nuts definitely make it more pricey but so worth it.

The pignoli cookies are easy to store. Local Italian bakeries store them in airtight containers with wax paper between the layers. These chewy cookies can also be frozen. Freeze Pignoli cookies for up to three months.

A red tray of the Italian Pignoli Cookies (Pine Nut Cookies).

Expert Tips for the Cookies Made with Almond Paste

  • Sticky Dough: Wet your hands before rolling the pignoli dough so that it is less likely to stick to you. The dough must be sticky enough for the pine nuts to adhere.
  • Not-sticky-enough dough: Try dipping the dough balls into beaten egg whites so that the pine nuts will stick.
  • Avoid Overbaking: Pine nut cookies are supposed to be nice and chewy on the inside. Bake the cookies just until they turn golden brown so that they don’t come out flat and brittle.
  • Alternate ingredient: If pine nuts aren’t your favorite nut, you can easily substitute them for cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds and more! You will love these cookies.
  • Add: A teaspoon of salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, or lemon zest to the cookies. However, be very light-handed, as you do not want to cover the delicate pine nut flavor.

What to Serve with Pine Nut Cookies

Italian Pine Nut Cookies (Pignoli).
5 from 14 votes

Italian Pignoli Cookies (Pine Nut Cookies)

Yield: 24 cookies
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Pine Nut Cookies or Italian Pignoli Cookies are the perfect blend of a satisfactory crunch paired with a chewy inside and have a beautiful nutty flavor. 
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Ingredients

  • 16 ounces Almond paste
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 2 Large egg whites
  • 1 ¼ cups Pine nuts (pignoli)
  • Confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Break the almond paste into smaller chunks and place in a food processor.
  • Pulse until the paste resembles crumbs.
  • Add the sugar and pulse until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
  • Add the egg whites to the food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a solid dough.
  • Pour the pine nuts into a small bowl.
  • Divide the dough into 24 portions and roll each portion into a ball.
  • Press the pine nuts onto one side of the ball.
  • Place the ball, pine nut side up, on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and set.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to finish cooling.
  • When cookies are completely cooled, dust them with confectioners sugar.

Expert Tips

  • Sticky Dough: Wet your hands before rolling the pignoli dough so that it is less likely to stick to you.
  • Not-sticky-enough dough: Try dipping the dough balls into beaten egg whites so that the pine nuts will stick.
  • Avoid Overbaking: Pine nut cookies are supposed to be nice and chewy on the inside. Bake the cookies just until they turn golden so that they don’t come out flat and brittle.
  • Alternate ingredient: If pine nuts aren’t your favorite nut, you can easily substitute them for cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds and more!

Estimated Nutritional Information

Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian

This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe.  I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.

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