Classic Italian Pignoli Cookies Recipe – soft, chewy almond flavored centers with a crispy, crunchy exterior that’s covered in golden, toasted pine nuts. Quick and easy to make in less than 30 minutes with only 5 ingredients!

In this post, I’ll show you how to make these classic Italian pine nut cookies with step-by-step instructions, give you several different ways to make them depending on what ingredients you have, give you variations including how to make them less sweet, give you tips on almond paste, show you how to avoid common pitfalls, and show you how to fix a dough that’s too loose and sticky.

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🍪 What are Pignoli Cookies?

Pignoli Cookies (Amaretti con Pignoli) are an Italian classic. (Pignoli means “pine nuts” in Italian.) Originating from Sicily and a standard at any Italian bakery, they’re a simple, fragrant cookie made of almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. They have an intense almond flavor with moist, chewy centers and crisp exteriors (similar to macaroons) studded with pine nuts.

This easy recipe for Pignoli Cookies is the traditional way to make authentic Italian pine nut cookies.

They’re a holiday favorite that’s naturally gluten-free and dairy free. Very similar to my almond paste cookies!

📺 Watch how to make!

🥇Why you’ll love this recipe

I have tested and retested this recipe so you can bake a perfect, authentic, Italian pignoli cookies.

• A luxurious (and expensive!) cookie found in Italian bakeries
• Addictive, fragrant almond flavor
• Unique texture – moist and chewy plus crispy and crunchy
• Only 5 ingredients
• Quick and easy - just 1 minute in the food processor and the dough is done
• No cooling or resting time for the dough

🧾 Ingredients

🔎Almond paste

The almond paste you use can make or break these cookies

Almond paste is often found in Italian cookie recipes such as these pignoli cookies, almond paste cookies, and Italian rainbow cookies.

The type and brand of almond paste used can make a difference in the outcome of the cookie in terms of color, texture, taste, and the spreading of the dough.

Almond paste is made of almonds, water, and sugar or glucose. It contains about 45-50% almonds. Because different brands of almond paste vary in the amount of moisture they contain, your dough can turn out looser or drier.

I use both Solo and Odense brands of almond paste. Solo almond paste is made with almonds and sugar. Odense almond paste is made with almonds, sugar, and glucose. Because of the glucose, cookies baked with Odense bake up a little browner and chewier.

Odense comes in 7oz packages. So there's no leftovers or waste, you can use 2 boxes (14oz total) and add a little less egg whites – about 78 grams instead of the 90 grams called for in this recipe.

Do not use almond cake and pastry filling, it contains much more moisture, and the dough will be very loose.

❓Almond paste vs. Marzipan

While they are both made of almonds and sugar, they are not always interchangeable in recipes. Their two main differences are sweetness and texture.

Marzipan is smooth and sweet with a delicate flavor. It is often dyed and stiff enough to be molded into shapes (like these carrots on my Carrot Cake). It’s also used to cover cakes like fondant or eaten alone. It contains more sugar and almost half the amount of almonds as almond paste.

Almond paste is coarser, less sweet, and nuttier in flavor. It’s soft enough to be used as a filling or ingredient in baked goods.

Do not substitute marzipan for almond paste in this recipe unless you are using the variation that specifically calls for marzipan.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make

1. Break up the almond paste into 1-inch pieces and put it in the bowl of a food processor.

2. Add the sugar and salt.

3. Pulse until it’s combined, about 30 seconds. It should resemble corn meal.

4. Add about ⅔ of the egg whites and process, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining egg whites as necessary to form a sticky dough.

Depending on the brand and consistency of the almond paste, you may not need all of the egg whites.

The dough will be sticky, but you should be able to roll it into balls between your hands.

5. Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and roll into 1-inch balls, about 25 grams each.

6. Roll the balls in the pine nuts. The stickiness of the dough will help the nuts stick. If they’re not sticky enough, brush them with egg whites.

7. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until the nuts are starting to turn golden, about 15-18 minutes. Don’t overbake.

🔑 Tips for success

• Use the correct size of eggs. Large egg whites should weigh about 30 grams each. Too little egg whites and the dough will be dry and the pine nuts won’t stick. Too much, and the dough will be too sticky and difficult to roll into a ball. If you don’t have large eggs, be sure to measure your egg whites.
• Add ⅔ of the egg whites first, then add what is needed from the remainder, to ensure that the dough isn't too wet. Because different kinds of almond paste have a different moisture content, they may require slightly different amounts of egg whites to form a sticky dough.
• If you find the dough isn’t sticky enough for the pine nuts to adhere, dip the rolled dough balls into beaten egg white before rolling in pine nuts.
• If the dough seems too sticky, roll the balls with wet hands.
• If the dough is too loose to roll into balls, it means too much egg whites have been added. Add more almond paste, equal parts almond flour and sugar, or just almond flour until it reaches the right consistency. Although it’s not traditional, in a pinch, you can add a little all-purpose or 1:1 gluten free flour to thicken the dough.
• Bake the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• Don’t overbake the cookies. Bake until the nuts are just starting to turn golden. You want the insides to remain moist and chewy.
• To avoid breaking: After baking, let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. They may break apart while moving if they haven’t cooled and set.

💡Recipe Variations

No food processor? No almond paste? No problem! I’ve included variations for making the Pignoli with marzipan, from scratch using almonds, by hand using almond flour, a version with less sugar, and even a version without pine nuts.

Pignoli cookies made with marzipan

Here is a recipe to make Pignoli Cookies with marzipan instead of almond paste. It adds almond flour (finely ground almonds) and uses less sugar so the balance of almonds and sugar comes out right.

While I love all the variations of Pignoli, this one adapted from King Arthur might be my favorite. It comes out extra dense and chewy, turning more of a golden brown with some caramelization on the bottom.

Combine 11oz (312g) marzipan, 5 tablespoons (64g) sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ cup (48g) almond flour or ½ cup (46g) blanched almonds in a food processor and process until combined thoroughly. It should resemble cornmeal. Add 1 large egg white (30g) and 1 ¼ teaspoons almond extract or 3 to 4 drops almond flavor. Process until a smooth, wet dough forms. Roll dough balls in pine nuts and bake.

Pignoli Cookies without almond paste (from scratch using almonds)

You can make Pignoli starting with almonds instead of almond paste. This makes a more economical cookie with a less intense almond flavor. You can add almond flavor or extract to boost the flavor if you’d like. However, this cookie adapted from America’s Test Kitchen is delicious as is.

Combine 1 ⅔ cups (200g) blanched, slivered almonds and 1 ⅓ cups (265g) sugar in a food processor and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add 2 large egg whites (60g) and process until a smooth, sticky dough forms, about 30 seconds. Roll dough balls in pine nuts and bake.

Pignoli Cookies with less sugar:

Pignoli Cookies are traditionally very sweet, however they can be made with less sugar. They will be a little less dense and a little more cakey. Decrease the sugar in the recipe to ¾ cup and the egg whites to 1.

With almond flour

Pignoli Cookies can be made with almond flour either by hand or in the food processor. Combine 2 cups (240g) blanched almond flour or finely ground almonds, ¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar, and 1 ¼ cups (141g) powdered sugar. Mix in 3 large (90g) egg whites and 1 teaspoon almond extract until a smooth dough forms. Roll in pine nuts and bake.

With no food processor

Pignoli Cookies can be made with no food processor. Either use the recipe with almond flour or use a stand or hand mixer to break apart the almond paste and combine it thoroughly with the sugar, then add the egg whites.

Pignoli Cookies with no pine nuts

While they technically wouldn’t be Pignoli, you can substitute chopped or slivered almonds or chopped cashews for the pine nuts.

Flavor additions:

I haven’t added any extra flavors to this basic Pignoli recipe because I love to let the flavor of the almonds shine through. If you’d like to add a little extra flavor, however, here are some ideas:

• Orange zest
• Lemon zest
• Cinnamon

❄️How to store and freeze

• Store pignoli cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to four days. Place sheets of wax paper or parchment between each of the layers.
• Pignoli Cookies can also be frozen. Put in the freezer in a single layer until frozen, then transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Try to press out as much air as you can for the freshest cookie.
• They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature. You can crisp them up in a 250° F oven for a few minutes.

⏰Make ahead

To make the cookies ahead of time, the dough can be mixed and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Form into balls and bake the next day straight from the refrigerator.

❓Recipe FAQs

Adapted from Lidia Bastianich’s Nonna Tell Me a Story

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