Italian Pignoli Cookies

Of all the cookies that are around in the world for the tasting, these Pignoli cookies rank the highest on my list of true favorites! I have a friend of Italian heritage who will (every once-in-a-blue-moon) make these cookies for a party or something, and she always makes just a few extra for me! A true delight these little cookies!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces, weight Pignoli (pine Nuts)
• ½ cups Granulated Sugar
• ½ cups Confectioners Sugar
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 dash Salt
• 8 ounces, weight Almond Paste
• 2 whole Egg Whites
• ½ teaspoons Almond Or Vanilla Extract

Directions: Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Line 2 cookie sheets with Silpat liners or parchment. Place pine nuts or pignoli in a shallow dish.

Combine granulated sugar, confectioners sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl and lightly toss.

Place almond paste in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer and mix to break up. Add beaten egg whites and mix on low speed until smooth. Add almond extract and flour mixture and beat until flour is blended in, about 30 seconds. Do not over-beat.

Using a teaspoon or a scooper, scoop up a rounded spoon of dough and push the dough side into the pine nuts so that they stick to the dough.

Ease dough out of scoop so that pine nuts are facing up on baking sheet. Place 2″ apart and re-apply any loose nuts.

Bake cookies for about 25 minutes. Use a shorter baking time if you like soft cookies and a longer baking time if you like them chewy. Cool 1 minute and remove to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Happy Baking & Bon Appétit!

Recipe Credit

TeaTime Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Hi Everybody,

A few evenings ago it was raining and stormy outside, making it a rather dreary evening inside as well, so i decided to try making these lovely little cookies to cheer me up and to my delight, they came out splendidly! I hope you all enjoy this recipe! 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1-½ cup Butter, Room Temperature
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1  Egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 3-¼ cups Flour
• ¾ cups Jam (any Kind)

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, then vanilla and salt, mixing well. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour and mix until it just comes together.

Roll the dough into small balls(which may be a little difficult) then place on a lined baking sheet a few inches apart (cookies will spread). If the dough is hard to work with, refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Using the back of a utensil, or your thumb, create a hollow in each cookie for the jam. Fill with jam. (but don’t over-do it! this is a less-is-more type of thing)

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes; the edges will be set, but the cookies should not be browned at all, and will not look done. Let the cookies cool for 1 minute on the sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.

If desired, fill with more jam and enjoy your cookies with a nice glass of milk or sweet cup of tea.

Bon Appètit!