Pignoli (Pine Nut Cookies)

By jgroeneveld

These chewy almond meringue cookies, speckled with pine nuts

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup pine nuts

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 300°. Combine almonds and granulated sugar in a food processor, and process until very finely ground, about 4 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar and egg whites, and process until a smooth dough forms. Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a ½" round tip, and pipe 1½" mounds, spaced 2" apart, on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently press about 10–12 pine nuts on the top of each mound so they adhere. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.