Saturday

Edible Gifts Part 5 - Pignoli Cookies

Pignoli Cookies with a cup of espresso
The last of the edible gifts is my favorite cookie. These are not common on the west coast, but are easily adaptable.
Almonds are so abundant here that when I get them on sale, I freeze them and save them for just this reason.

This cookie is a little different in that it has no flour, and no added fat. The nuts do most the work here. Slivered almonds are ground into a paste that replaces flour and butter as the base of the cookie. Pine nuts, (pignoli) cover the cookie.

I learned to make these at first because they're very expensive to ship and they are better when they're fresh. Now I make them so I can be sure that the ingredients are organic and as close to our region as possible.  These can be a little tricky to make at first, but well worth it.

Time: 3 hours
Yield: 45 cookies
Level: Difficult




Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups raw, slivered, almonds
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature 
1 tsp pure almond extract
2 cups pignoli nuts

Directions:
Side by side images of almonds, raw and toasted for the pignoli cookiesRemove the eggs from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Spread the slivered almonds on a baking sheet and toast them on the middle rack of the oven until they are slightly toasted (approx 20 minutes). They should not turn brown, just slightly more golden than before. Shake them occasionally to move them around so they toast evenly. This enhances their flavor. Remove the almonds from the oven and let them cool.
Using the metal blade of your food processor, grind the almonds into a paste. If you are using a blender, blend them in 4-5 batches. The paste will stick together if you press on it, but it will still fall apart. Don't process them too long or you'll make almond butter!


Place the almond paste in a mixing bowl. Work in 1 cup of sugar until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Separate the eggs. In a clean, cool, bowl, beat the egg whites into a soft meringue. It will start to form peaks but they should not hold the shape (yet). Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until it forms peaks that hold the shape but are still somewhat wet in appearance. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond paste.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Pignoli cookies on parchment paper, ready to go in the oven

Place about one third of the pignoli nuts into a small bowl (you will use all of the pignolis but this keeps the entire bowl of nuts from getting gooey).  Have 2 metal teaspoons ready. Using one spoon, scoop about a teaspoon of the mixture. Using the other spoon, push the mixture into the pignoli nuts. With both spoons, move the dough around until it is round and covered with pignoli nuts.
Place the cookies on the parchment paper leaving about an inch of space between. The cookies will flatten slightly as they bake.

Bake the cookies on the middle rack of your oven for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack when they are done. The cookies may not appear brown and they will be very soft. Don't worry, they firm up when they cool. Once they have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container with layers of wax paper between.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This was Dad's favorite cookie, so it brings very happy memories!

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  2. These look so good! I wonder if you could substitute hazelnuts for the almonds to make it more local? I did read that pignolia nuts are one of the new crops for Oregon, but I have seen any being sold anywhere.

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    1. I like the idea of trying this with hazelnuts. It would be a very different cookie but well worth an experiment. I'll post what I come up with! Hopefully we'll see pignoli nuts in the Pac NW soon!

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  3. Thanks for commenting on my blog! I will make a batch of these cookies with hazelnuts also and let you know how they turn out.

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  4. I made 3 versions of the pignoli cookie recipe - Hazelnut Batter/Hazelnut Coating, Almond Batter/Hazelnut Coating, and (following the recipe) Almond Batter/ Pine Nut Coating. All turned out great and the hazelnut version was delicious! Thanks for the inspiration.

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