Pignoli Cookies

These classic Italian cookies are perfect for the almond lovers in your life. They’re soft and chewy, with a slightly crispy edge (think macaroons, without the coconut). They’re also incredible easy to bake–you only need 5 (!) ingredients to make them, and they’re naturally gluten-free. Add that to the fact that one of those ingredients is rich and buttery pine nuts, and you’ve got an impressive-but-secretly-easy cookie that’ll wow on any and every dessert spread.

What are pignoli?
These cookies are commonly found throughout Southern Italy and Sicily, and you’ll find them in almost every Italian bakery. They’re studded with pignoli, Italian for pine nuts, and get even more nutty flavor from a hefty amount of almond paste (one of our favorite secret weapons in baked goods for its rich, slightly sweet flavor). Egg whites help give the cookies an deliciously chewy and airy texture, and also help make this cookie totally gluten-free—no flour required!

Our greatest tip for making the best pignoli? Use almond paste, not marzipan. While some recipes work with either, we think that pignoli cookies are best made with almond paste, which is softer than marzipan and holds up better in baking. It also has less sugar content than marzipan, giving these a more delicate, not-overly-sweet flavor (read: these are cookies for adults).

Storage.
Pignoli cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Layer baked pignoli cookies with sheets of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container and they’ll keep for up to 5 days.

Like most holiday cookies, pignoli cookies can also be frozen. Once cooled from baking, freeze them in a single layer on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a resealable freezer-safe plastic bag or container. Pignoli cookies are best eaten within 1 month of freezing.

Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below.