Pistachio Pignoli Cookies
Makes 16-18 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups shelled unsalted roasted pistachios
- 1 cup powdered sugar plus more dusting if desired
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
- ½ cup pine nuts for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Add pistachios and powdered sugar to a food processor. Pulse to a fine meal, about 45 seconds.
- Sift through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Transfer any large pieces that won’t sift through back into the food processor and pulse/sift again.
- Repeat the pulsing and sifting process at least 4 times, being careful not to over-process the pistachios into a paste. At the end of the 4 rounds, there will be a small amount of pistachios (a couple Tbsp) that won’t get fine enough to be sifted. Just add that in with the rest of the pistachio flour. Don't rush these flour steps, or the texture of the cookie will not be right.
- Add the pistachio flour back into the food processor along with the granulated sugar, egg whites, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, and almond extract. Pulse until combined.
- Transfer dough to a small bowl and chill the dough until it's less sticky and easier to handle, 45-60 minutes.
- Place pine nuts on a small plate.
- Weigh out 20g (about 1 even tablespoon) of dough. Gently roll into a smooth ball with slightly damp hands. The dough will still be slightly sticky, and that's ok! Keep the remaining dough in the fridge between batches.
- Press one side of the ball in the pine nuts and place the cookies nut side up on the sheet tray.
- Bake in the lower third of the oven for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are deep golden around the edges and have puffed up slightly. I bake mine all the way in the lower third of my oven, but ovens vary, so check them halfway through the bake time and move them to the middle rack of the oven if the bottoms are browning too fast. You want a very golden bottom to ensure the cookies are set with a nice crisp bottom.
- Let cookies cool on the tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Store in an airtight container. These are so good with coffee!
Video
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