Ingredients
- 7 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 - 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups Diamond of California pine nuts
- powdered sugar, optional
The Steps
Make the Dough
- Preheat the oven to 325 F/ 160 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the almond paste into slices. Add to the bowl of a food processor with the sugar and almond extract. Blend until combined; the texture should look like wet sand.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs whites together until frothy. Don’t over think this. Just get in there and whisk it up. It literally takes 20 seconds.
- Add the frothy egg whites and flour to the food processor.
- Pulse the mixture several times until a dough forms. Let rest for 1-2 minutes for the flour to absorb the moisture, then assess the dough. It should feel soft, slightly sticky, but mostly tacky. If the dough is very sticky, almost wet or loose, add a sprinkle of flour and briefly pulse again.
- Transfer the dough to bowl. Get ready to roll.
Roll The Cookies In Pignoli
- Add the pine nuts to a wide shallow bowl; set aside.
- With a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, portion the dough into the pine nuts.
- Roll to coat the top, bottom and sides in pine nuts.
- Place onto your parchment-lined baking sheet. Give it a slight pat to flatten. Repeat to roll the remaining cookies.
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Bake The Pignoli Cookies
- Bake the cookies, center rack, for 20 minutes @ 325 F/160 C (check at the 18 minute mark). Do not over bake. They will be pale in color, slightly soft in the center (almost underdone looking) with a golden brown exterior edge. This is perfect.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust with powdered sugar (optional) before serving.