They are pleasantly sweet, made with almond paste and pine nuts, but no flour.
If you need to keep these gluten free, use gluten-free flour when shaping the cookies.
So, let me start with a few musts-- You MUST use SOLO CANNED almond paste. The Odense in the tube doesn't work, it's too watery and will ruin the cookies. Line your pan with parchment paper. I never bake without it, and the cookies don't stick at all when you use it. As for the way I made the cookies, I dumped each ingredient one at a time into my stand mixer and no problem. Didn't beat the whites beforehand. Flouring your hands is important. It helps the eggwhites stick to the dough ball (which will give the cookies a nice gloss and help the pignoli stick) and I think it prevents them spreading- last year I used a different recipe that didn't call for it and the cookies were a disaster. Mine didn't spread at all, I should have pushed them down a bit. Anyway, they looked great, tasted better, and everyone loved them. Thanks!
Read Morethe batter was so liquidy, i couldn't make any balls. the cookies were so thin and inedible.
Read MoreSo, let me start with a few musts-- You MUST use SOLO CANNED almond paste. The Odense in the tube doesn't work, it's too watery and will ruin the cookies. Line your pan with parchment paper. I never bake without it, and the cookies don't stick at all when you use it. As for the way I made the cookies, I dumped each ingredient one at a time into my stand mixer and no problem. Didn't beat the whites beforehand. Flouring your hands is important. It helps the eggwhites stick to the dough ball (which will give the cookies a nice gloss and help the pignoli stick) and I think it prevents them spreading- last year I used a different recipe that didn't call for it and the cookies were a disaster. Mine didn't spread at all, I should have pushed them down a bit. Anyway, they looked great, tasted better, and everyone loved them. Thanks!
I love these cookies - but you have to like almond paste. It also helps to have the right tools to make this recipe easily. #1 I can not say enough about using Reynolds RELEASE foil to line your cookie sheet! They will not stick - I used a quick spray of Pam on top, but I don't think it's necessary. Also do not use a pan with sides - the cookies will not brown properly. OK - on to the recipe - I used a food processor to crumble the almond paste and mix in the sugar ( I agree with other reviewers that you can use a little less than a cup of sugar) Then I transferred the mixture to a large mixing bowl. In a smaller mixing bowl whip the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the almond mixture. At this point, you can scoop (I used my smallest cookie scoop - 1 tablespoon - but did not fill it quite full) the mixture and then press on the pine nuts or you can chill the mixture and then use the scoop and make balls and roll the balls in pinenuts. Either way works. They do spread so give them some room on the pan. I ran out of pine nuts and used some slivered almonds which were OK, but the pine nuts are better. If I used the almonds again, I would chop them a little bit finer. Bake until lightly golden - it took mine longer than 12 minutes. Watch. With the Release Foil cooling and removing was a breeze. Chewy inside, crunch outside - if you cook longer until light brown they will be crunchy like amaretti.
This is a wonderful recipe. A few things I've learned: 1) Use a food processor!!!! 2) refrigerate the dough for several minutes prior to shaping the cookies. This makes it much easier and is FAR less messy. 3) I always run out of pignoli when making these. 4) Scaling the recipe seems to be quite difficult to do successfully. 5) Using parchment paper for the cookie sheets is priceless. And do not remove the cookies from the surface too soon, or the middles will stick and tear out. This recipe never seems to turn out badly and is worth perfecting. I have made it again and again and it's always getting better.
I've been searching so long for a good recipe for Pignoli cookies and I finally found it!!! These cookies are OUTRAGEOUS!! The bakeries here in Brooklyn don't even make these cookies as good! The only thing with the mixture is- its a very wet dough...just put in refrigerator until hardens than make your cookies....they are GREAT!!! AAAAAA++++++++++++
The BEST Pignoli I have EVER eaten!!!! When dropping them on the cookie sheet, make sure you have a SMALL crescent shape--they grow so much in the oven! Very sticky batter but putting it in the fridge for a few minutes makes it MUCH more managable when rolling it in the pine nuts--and don't skimp on them-they hold the cookie together! I ended up using more pine nuts than expected. The best cookie recipe ever. Thank you Adele!!!
This was an excellent cookie. I now know why the Italian bakery charges so much a lb.- the almond paste alone gets pricy. But this cookie is so worth every penny. I recommend using parchment paper on your cookie sheets or else you will have trouble getting them off in one piece.
Be careful when selecting the almond paste some of it is NOT GF
I first tasted these cookies on a visit to Brooklyn with some good friends about ten years ago. I loved these cookies and tried several recipes but this one is definitely the best. I chilled the dough for about 30 minutes and added 1/4 tsp. salt. Deeeeelicous!
These came out absolutely delicious. I had to chill the dough for about 15 minutes before it was firm enough to form the cookies, but other than that everything turned out perfect!
My mom used to make these cookies when I was younger. Of course, I couldn't find the recipe when I wanted to make them - but thank goodness I found this one! They come out just like I remember them. I like to make my cookies a little bigger, so I only got about 2 dozen out of the recipe. Also, the dough seemed a little to soft, so I added some extra confectioners' sugar. Putting the dough in the fridge for a while makes them easier to handle. These cookies are delicious!!
Fantastic cookies!!! This was my first time making these cookies, and I was extremely nervous because, well, they are not cheap to make! But, I followed the recipe and various reviewers' comments, and I achieved pignoli perfection! I followed the recipe exactly, and here are my tips: 1) I have a very, very small food processor, so here is what I had to do: I combined the almond paste and granulated sugar in a bowl, and I mushed the two together by hand, kneading the sugar into the paste. When it all seemed incorporated, I put little batches of the paste-sugar in the processor and whirred it around. After the mixture was smooth, I put it all into another, larger bowl; added egg whites and mixed with a hand mixer on LOW speed (careful: splatter potential). I then added the confectioner sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time, blending with hand mixer after each addition. Mixed until smooth. 2) Definitely refrigerate the dough--15-20 mins is great. 3) Definitely use parchment paper; also, the cookies don't spread THAT much, so I was able to fit 7 on a sheet. 4) Baked at 325 for about 20-25 mins. Take them out when they JUST start to brown on the edges, even if the centers look pale--the cookies will harden perfectly once out of the oven and they start to cool. I will definitely be making these again. And again. And again.
These are my mother's very favorite cookies. I usually only use a total of 1/2 cup of sugar (1/4 cup granulated, 1/4 cup confectioners) as the almond paste is already sweetened. I also toast the pine nuts slightly before coating the cookies for more flavor; I find that they don't really toast while the cookies are baking. These are seriously good cookies.
The solo can is 8oz and the recipe calls for 12. I used 2 cans of almond paste, and multipied everything else by 1 1/2. My other tip - flouring hands doesn't work. My theory? If you can't beat em, join em. sounds gross, but I put some egg whites on my hands when making the balls. Then dip just the top in the nuts, they'll look more like the bakery, and you'll use less. Worked like a charm, they came out PERFECT!! I followed others tips: use parchment, chill the dough. 3 egg whites went in without beating first. Also, remember to make them small and far apart on the sheet, they will get bigger.
I wanted to make pignoli cookies for my very italian grandfather because they are his favorite. I used this recipe and he told me that "they were better than his grandmothers." We all loved them!
the batter was so liquidy, i couldn't make any balls. the cookies were so thin and inedible.
I've tried many pignoli or amaretti recipes, and this one is the keeper! I also could not roll out, so I used a pastry bag with no tip. Just pipe out the balls and put the pine nuts on top. If you want some without the pine nuts, just brush very little water on each and sprinkle with superfine sugar before baking. Excellent recipe!
Okay. I was born and raised on Long Island (NY)... I'm an Italian New Yorker...I KNOW Italian cookies... These are fantastic! and just like I remember getting at our favorite Italian bakery...Ramona Lee! One caveat: I don't suggest using wax paper to line the cookie sheet (i was out of foil!)...the paper stuck to the bottom despite greasing it and made an awful mess! AND... I suppose it's a matter of preference, but it's really not necessary to have the nuts on the bottom of the cookie...I just rolled the balls and put them on the cookie sheet, then flattened them and put a whole bunch of nuts on top.... Magnificent recipe!
Excellent cookie. I found it best to use parchment paper, instead of oiling the pan. Let the cookies cool quite a bit before removing from parchment and they should come off quite easily with minimal sticking.
I'm from Brooklyn, NY, home to some of the most amazing bakeries. I'd promised my dad I'd try my hand at making his favorite cookies, so I found this recipe and took a chance. This isn't an easy cookie to make, but its sure worth the work! My food processor wasn't large enough, so I transferred the batter to my Kitchen Aid mixer and it was fine. I'd lined my cookie sheets with foil and butter flavored spray, and that was fine too. CHILL THE BATTER. If you don't, you'll have a mess on your hands! The recipe yielded 24 mid to large size cookies and I'd used 2 cups of pignoli nuts. The cookies took at least 20 minutes to bake in a preheated 300 degree oven. THE BOTTOMS BURN EASILY, so watch like a hawk, place your racks in the top part of your oven, and rotate your pans often. The cookies tell you when they're done because they'll separate easily from the foil and the bottom will be more golden than the top. If they're sticking to the foil, they're NOT DONE. Once cooled, I'd sprinkled lightly with confectioners sugar. They were simultaneously crunchy, yet tender due to the almond paste. My family gave rave reviews, especially my dad, so these will become part of my baking repertoire going forward. The cost difference between this recipe and the bakery is about 50%. Bakery charges about $25 per pound while this recipe yields two pounds for $25, not including your labor of love :) This recipe was a winner!
This is the second year in a row I've made these for Christmas. My Aunt made these when I was a kid and I don't have her recipe. Thanks for sharing this one. Both times that I've made these, someone has asked for the recipe. They will be a staple at Christmas for me from now on. ;) (Edited to add the following) Make sure you use the parchment paper but also cooking spray. Wait until the cookies are a bit cooled before removing to wire rack and they won't stick.
Absolutely wonderful! Moist and chewy with a crispy bottom-great flavor too. Just like the ones from the NY bakeries. Will make again and again!
Thank you for this great recipe! Just spent $15.00 a pound for these at the local "famous" bakery in Philadelphia. These are just as Good, in fact even BETTER. We figured that we got almost 2 pounds for less than half of cost at the bakery. WELL worth EVERY PENNY spent on the ingredients. I will treasure this recipe. Thanks ADELE!!!
The perfect pignoli cookie recipe! Thank you so much! :) I also left the pignolis off of a few cookies, and after baking drizzled with melted chocolate, and they are delicious as well! I made them for Christmas, they are sure to be a hit! I will use this recipe again and again!
I wished I had read other reviews 1st. These were an expensive waste & nasty tasting cookie. I followed the directions to a T and it didn't help with the mess that it made. Almost like battering chicken fried steak...now THAT I know is messy but it at least turns out great. I used parchment paper and cookies had to completely cool before removing because the stuck. After making the cookies, I viewed other reviews & wished I had not used the tube almond paste but that was my only option. Before adding the confectioner's sugar and egg whites. I thought it would be a good cookie. Smelled wonderful and looked great. After adding the c.s. and egg whites it became gooey and un-ball-able. Lightly flouring your hands didn't do the trick like it mentioned, no little bit was enough you have to completely toss them in flour to help hold their shape and then dipping them, as a so called ball into egg white wash made it worse. They lost shape again and began spread instantly. 1 1/2 cups of pine nuts didn't work in my favor for I ran out before completing the last step. I was glad I bought extra because of thinking ahead. It took 2 cups of pine nuts. This recipe was expensive to make. 7oz almond paste was $6.19 a tube & had to buy 2 and had to weigh it exactly to get 12 oz. The pine nuts were $2.69 per 1/2 cup and used 4 little bags. So my total with all ingredients included was $23.95. We didn't like the taste , everyone spit them out and the dog sniffed it and didn't touch it...So Sorry!
Ive tried several Pignoli cookies and these are the best. Its true, the bakeries in Brooklyn dont even make them this good. BUT, you have to use SOLO ALMOND PASTE! If you use any other, the cookies will become a soupy mess and deflate in the oven. I make my own almond paste (its cheaper) and just be sure to make an almond paste thats stiff and very granular, not soft, otherwise these cookies will collapse.
This is a wonderful recipe! I'm an Italian girl living in Long Island, NY and all the bakeries here (if you can find them) charge upwards of $16 per pound. This recipe is authentic and works. I used Solo canned almond paste and followed the recipe as written. Definately remember to flour your hands. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!!
These cookies are excellent!! Thank you so much for posting! I agree with everyone that said they are just like the bakery. I used one of those new Silpat things and it was wonderful for these cookies. No problem getting them off the sheet at all. My dough was a little sticky too and what I did was roll them directly in the pine nuts then I brushed the cookie with the egg white before baking. That worked too and was a little less mess.
This is a great recipe. I used the recipe exactly as it is written with the exception of 2 things: 1) rolling the dough in the pine nuts is not necessary and it uses up a lot of nuts ... just put them on top. 2) I did not use parchment or aluminum foil as suggested, I use silpat silicone baking sheets on my cookie sheets and there was NO STICKING at all. Also, the baking time was more like 20 minutes for me, I am not sure if it because of the sides on my cookie sheets, just keep on eye on them and make you pull them out when they start getting a little brown. The dough is sticky but the flour helps with this. Almond paste is expensive from the supermarket so I ordered a 7 lb can of "American Almond" almond paste online. It can be found for about $35 at multiple sites ... it is well worth it. It can be stored for a long time in the freezer. I am from LI NY and these are very close to those I remember from the italian bakeries back home.
These taste very good, although they do need some salt to balance out the sweetness. I would add about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. The cookies stuck to parchment paper and I was unable to get them off without mis-shaping them.
Great recipe. Thanks to the reviews I used parchment instead of Foil and cooked them for approx. 20-22 min which gave them a golden color outside and a soft inside. absolutely delicious.
I made these today and they are delicious. They taste just like the ones my Sicilian mom and aunt used to make! I used the "Solo" brand canned almond paste. The only thing I did different was I scaled it down because I just wanted to try it and because the almond paste came in 8oz cans. I scaled it down to 24 servings and it worked out perfectly. I used my food processor to do the mixing and it did a great job. I couldn't imagine trying to use my hand mixer for this as the paste was pretty hard, almost like cement. Definitely chill the dough before forming the cookies and flour your hands after each ball because it is pretty sticky. Only mistake I made was putting these directly on a "non-stick" cookie sheet. Next time I will go with the parchment paper. I just forgot... But these are excellent. Anyone would think I bought them at a fancy bakery! I never knew these cookies were SO easy to make!
Wonderful! Chilling the dough made it easier to work with. I tried baking on foil that had been sprayed with Pam and on parchment--bottoms stuck more on parchment but were a prettier product.
These cookies taste exactly like those you can buy in an Italian bakery. Having grown up in Newark, NJ and raised on Italian pastries and cakes, I feel pretty qualified to give the recipe my 5 stars. Thanx Adele!
Made this recipe for the first time. Well worth the messy fingers. My son-in-law said they were as good as any NY bakery's. Hubby loved them. I found that putting them in the fridge for about an hour certainly made them easier to handle.
This recipe is absolutely delicous! I don't know what the fuss is about only using Solo brand Almond Paste I used Odense brand and they came perfect! I whisked the egg-whites before adding them into the food-processor and no problem. My only suggestion isWETTING your hands with WATER to roll them into balls no reason to get your hands full off egg whites as suggested in another review. Also if you refrigerate the dough it is easier to work with. Buon Apetito and enjoy!!
Great cookie - even Nonna approved! I made them for a party and the hostess wanted the recipe. I used parchment paper instead of aluminum foil and spray. I chilled the dough for 15 - 30 minutes for firmness. Very messy to make, I thought it would be my first and last time making them but it was worth the mess. I will be making them again for Christmas.
Fantastic recipe. The only thing I would recommend is putting some of the pine nuts on the bottom of the cookie, because they were very difficult to get off of the foil.
These cookies are fantastic! Beware that pine nuts currently cost $5 per half cup! I ended up baking mine for closer to 25 minutes and they came out perfect.
I've made the cookies using this recipe and absolutely loved them. They tasted just like the Italian Bakery around the corner and I never knew my husband liked them too now I have to hide them or make double the recipe! Thank you, great job!
These cookies are sooooo good. I have been looking for a recipe like this for so long. I was born in NJ and miss the bakeries up there. These cookies taste just like the ones you buy in bakeries up north.
These are the best. I'm from Brooklyn, NY and now living in NJ, I've yet to find a bakery who can make these right! Now I don't have to! I do agree with other reviewers, chill the dough and it will be easy to put these togther. Thanks so much for posting!!
Excellent recipe! I didn't make any changes ... I chilled the dough for about 10 minutes and did bake the cookies on parchment paper without any problems. I used about 1 1/2 small containers of the pine nuts which more than covered all of the cookies. I rolled my dough in about 1 inch balls, and got 46 cookies out of the reicpe.
I should have read the reviews and refrigerated the dough because I found it very hard to work with. Also I had to bake for 5-6 minutes more and they still were barely browned.
This is an excellent cookie! A bit pricey, but worth it. Very easy to make, too. I halved the recipe, but my husband and I had eaten every cookie by the day's end.
A Christmas Delight!! Comes out perfect evry time!! (I used the tube paste instead of the canned and let the dough stiffen for 15 minutes before rolling) I added a teaspoon of Ammaretto to the mix for a little kick! delicious!! Buon Natale!!
Great! I made these to use up my pine nuts, actually, and I substituted the almond paste with ground walnuts/pecans. My parents loved them!
This is the third time I've made this recipe. The first time my mom got me almond paste from a bakery, the second time I bought canned paste at the supermarket and this year we got Solo almond paste at the supermarket. If you have to buy it at the supermarket, my advice is to buy Solo (as suggested by another reviewer). More tips: I always use parchment paper, even for the rest of my cookies (slide right off). Bake pignolis til very lightly browned around edge (they won't be too gummy). Make sure you have enough pignoli nuts (I bought 2 bags and had very little left over) and those that were left over I ground up and used as topping for the cookie press cookies. All in all this is an outstanding recipe and I thank you Adele for sharing this recipe.
I tried making these cookies for the first time and chose this recipe. I brought them to my Italian family's Christmas Eve this year...my aunt who has been making this cookie each year for probably 40 years tried one and told me they were better than hers! Oh, and my other 40 Italian-American relatives standing around the dessert table gave them the thumbs up too. This recipe passes the test!
These cookies are fantastic. I've always made this recipe exactly as is here. I've found that making everything in the food processor is the easiest way to go. Thanks so much for the recipe- it's always a hit!
I made these cookies and they came out perfect. They look store bought. I will definitely make them again next year but will have to double it. The family gobbled them up!
no offense-this stuff was gross, my kids were disgusted-eeeewwwwwwww!
Ok, made them last night & they are totally delicious - but a few tips. Forget the aluminum foil - it's a disaster. Lightly grease pan & you're fine. Also, to avoid the brushing egg whites mess, I rolled into a ball, dipped into egg whites, then nuts, then on to pan. Worked great.
They were way too sweet and lacked enough almond flavoring. They also flattened out when cooking and looked like a mess.
EXCELLENT TASTING BUT DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE SAME YIELD AS INDICATED. BATTER WAS VERY MOIST AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO STIFFEN (ADD MORE CONFEC OR WHITE SUGAR OR FLOUR). CAUSE WAS SIZE OF EGGS USED(XTRA LGE). RECIPE DIDN'T SPECIFY AND IT SHOULD HAVE.
Oh theses cookies are delicious !! They received major raves at our party .
The whole family really loved these cookies. They gobbled them right up!
These are so good, very light and like a macaroon. I made them for my brother's family that has gluten allergies, I hope they like them as much as I did. Very easy to make in the food processor. Highly recommended!
I'm not sure what went wrong. Maybe I should have read the reviews first about refrigerating before rolling into balls. I found the dough too sticky to roll and had to drop it by the spoon onto the parchment paper. They came out flat as pancakes and we weren't too crazy about the taste either. We ate part of it with a fork and threw the rest in the garbage. What a waste.
The Italian bakery sells these for $12/lb. These are EXACTLY the same. They are not cheap to make but are definitely worth it. A great gift cookie.
I tried this recipe twice and both times the batter is too loose. Using SOLO almond paste. What am I doing wrong and cannot form in my hands??? Help!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! They are just like the New York bakery cookies we remember. My husband is especially greatful.
I'm from England where all the Best Chefs come from of course. I did not like these cookies.
Delicious! One suggestion - chill the dough before baking. It is very difficult to manage at room temperature. Also I agree with other reviewers that the quality of the almond paste is important.
These are my all time favorite cookies, but I know why I buy them now... I have an eleven cup food processor and doubled the recipe...almost burned it out making them for the first time.
Excellent, I've been looking for this recipe for years; I want to express my appreciation for posting this recipe and bringing back many childhood memories of this wonderful cookie. The only thing that my family did different is shape them into tiny logs and because I choose to recreate that shape I had to cook the cookies a little longer. Thank you once again for sharing this wonderful recipe.
These cookies brought me back to my home in Chicago. They were on my wedding cookie tray and all enjoyed them. They don't last long.
The flavor was good, but the cookies stuck to the cookie sheet even though they were lightly greased. After the cookies cooled, they turned out too heavy and chewy. Not the light chewy texture I remember from the Italian bakeries on the east coast.
Loved these cookies.Just like I remember them. A little awkward to make, but worth it.
These are *better* than you get at the Italian bakeries! I made them as a surprise for my mom for Christmas and she couldn't believe how good they were. Everyone loved them. Thank you for the terrific recipe!
It took two tries to get these right--the first time the dough was too wet, so the second time, I added the egg in parts until it was doughy but not wet, and they were lovely.
For 10 yrs. I've been asking my Cicilian Mother-in-law for great grandma's receipe. She always said oh, they never come out good. Well this recipe won over everyone. Better than little italy in brooklyn. So easy to make. They all want my recipe and I say, "it'll cost u!"
These were a disaster! I should not have used lightly greased foil, cookies stuck to the foil. I had to toss about 5 cookies. Perhaps using parchment paper would have helped.
These are the real thing. We are ex-NYers living in North Carolina, and real Italian bakeries are pretty much non-existant here. This cookie reminds me of a little Italian bakery back home...they must use this recipe. YUMMMMMMMMM. My husband was amazed at how good they were too. THANKS!
Very easy and tastes just like the ones we buy at the bakery in Brooklyn!!! Very good
Just made these cookies. They turned out great. I used Techniques Silicone Baking Boards and NO sticking (my first time ever - made Pignoli cookies before different recipe). They are available at QVC. Thanks for this recipe. Will continue to use this one.
Just finished making these fabulous cookies. Used parchment paper and chilled dough so there was no mess. Thank you so much for the great recipe.
These are so good- wonderful! Very easy to make too and I don't even have access to a food processor right now. I just used a hand mixer. I only had 200 grams of marzipan so I scaled the recipe to 21. Chewy and delicious. Pretty sweet, but I think they're supposed to be that way.
I have been told they taste better than the bakery's. i have seen them up to $16.00 a pound. Great taste easy to make if you have a food processor.
Love this recipe! I have been making this recipe for the past few years and always get rave reviews. This year I made a few changes, not necessarily to the ingredients but how I make them. It was so much easier! They aren't a difficult cookie to make but the dough is so sticky. I always dread rolling them. This is what I just got done doing. Make the dough as the recipe instructs. Then use a piping bag with this easy filling technique. Take a piece of plastic/saran wrap and drop about half the batter in the center. Then fold using the opposite corners. Now roll the plastic wrap to make a pouch and twist the ends tightly. Take a piping bag with just the coupler and drop the pouch into the bag. Pull one of the twisted ends through the end and snip open. Now squeeze out balls of dough onto a plate of pine nuts. I omitted dipping in eggs whites this year and it worked fine! Once you have piped as many balls that will fit on the plate, use a little water to wet your hands and roll into a ball, place on a silpat (or parchment paper) and bake. If you need a visual I will try and link two videos. One on making pignoli cookies by piping them onto a tray of nuts and the other is a video on filling the piping bag with plastic wrap. Pignoli Cookie Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viGuWl2mO50 (edited 12/24/17, I just realized I had linked a rainbow cookie tutorial). Piping Bag Filling Tutorial: http://www.karenscookies.net/Cookie-Decorating-Video-Color-Mixing-
I made this recipe this past Christmas and it was awesome. The cookies taste and look great, the recipe was easy and my friends loved them too! There is an Italian gourmet store up the street from me and these are very expensive to buy there, like $13 for a small container. I made them at home for less than that and mine were fresh!
Theses cookies were so easy to make and everyone loved them. I will definitely use this recipe as one of my Xmas cookies from now on.
I grew up in Jersey and my family used to get these from the bakery every weekend. I would say these are just as good! I used the Solo canned almond paste, followed the directions and measurements exactly and these came out fantastic! I did not use parchment the first time around, but definitely will next time since the bottom of the cookies came out a little crispier and browner than they should be (and I even buttered the pan excessively). Thanks for the great recipe!
I've never tried Pignoli cookies before, but they looked interesting, and I love both almond paste and pine nuts, so I thought they were worth trying. They are great! A little sweet, but I did add 1/4 tsp salt as suggested by other reviewers, and I'm glad I did. I also used more pine nuts than called for. Just mixed these in a bowl with spoon/hands, baked on a regular old cookie sheets without any foil, parchment, or cooking spray and they came off just fine. Thanks so much for a great recipe!!
Loved this recipe- Was so easy to make and the most delicious pignoli cookies ever- I didn't really need to flour my hands, just rolled them very quickly and dropped in egg whites. I came up with about 24 cookies, not 36 because I made them just a little bit bigger than requested. This will always be the pignoli cookie recipe I use forever. Don't need to look any further. Very moist an chewy. The perfect consistency!
A taste of Grandma in my own kitchen. Yummy! BUT Almond Paste is quite expensive....
My daughter's boyfriend is from Jersey where he's used to paying $29 per pound for these cookies at an Italian Bakery. I made them as directed using Odense Almond Paste, which was not runny at all. I refrigerated the dough before beginning to scoop them. I baked them on parchment and let them cool for a minute. They needed to cool longer to come off easily. Her boyfriend LOVED them and said they were just like those he's used to from the bakery back home! These cookies are soft after being sealed in a container, if left at room temp. They will stick together, so separating layers of cookies with waxed paper or parchment will help. Great flavor. I will make these again!
When I made these cookies I never expected them to taste so delicous as they did. This is the taste of the ones I buy in the Italian store. They are perfect and easy to make!
Having never tasted pignoli cookies, it's hard to say how this recipe compares. But, these have a very unique and wonderful flavor. I like how the rich buttery flavor of the pine nuts balances with the super sweet of the almond paste. I am only giving the recipe 4 stars however, because the ingredients were very expensive and after spending $10 on the pine nuts, I still didn't have enough. I actually needed probably twice as much. Also, I had to use the tube kind of almond paste, but I didn't have a problem shaping them into balls after chilling the dough for about an hour. It was still messy, but kinda fun pretending to be an old world Italian mama!
These are excellent cookies! I wouldn't change a thing about the recipe but the next time I make them I won't use foil on the cookie sheets.
Easy to make with a nice chewy consitency. A bit too sweet for my taste and the lack of salt with the nuts leaves this cookie tasting flat.
I got to say this is by far the best receipe ever...everyone raves about these cookies when I make them. Thanks!! a million for sharing.
