Pignoli

February 07, 2020

Pignoli means ‘pine nut’ in Italian, but it also refers to a gluten free cookie made from pine nuts and almond flour. They’re either round or crescent-shaped. Pignoli cookies originated in Sicily and are a common item in Italian bakeries. They’re golden, chewy, and studded with pine nuts. They’re especially popular around Christmas and are generally considered a special occasion cookie due to the high cost of pine nuts and almond paste.

Even though they’re a naturally gluten free cookie, it’s still best to double-check that any bakery you purchase from didn’t use flour to roll out or shape the dough. This is a definite possibility at traditional bakeries, so make them at home if you’re worried about the cross-contamination risk.

pignoli

Pignoli from Caroline's Cooking

Recipes for pignoli tend to be incredibly simple: almond paste, pine nuts, egg whites, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Some might include little twists like citrus zest, vanilla, or cinnamon. Pignoli are essentially a style of macaroon, and the recipe is very similar to French macarons.

Note that almond paste and marzipan are not the same thing. Even though the ingredients may seem similar, they are not interchangeable. Almond paste contains a higher ratio of ground almonds to sugar and is courser and more soft than marzipan. Almond paste bakes well and makes a soft, chewy filling with a delicate bite. Marzipan is sweeter and does not generally bake well. Instead its made to be shaped and served as-is. To make these cookies, you can either use ready-made almond paste or make your own. A food processor is highly recommended to help break up and incorporate the almond paste with the other ingredients, but a strong arm would do as well!