The holidays are all about Family, Love, Faith and Presents.  So, this week I will share a bit of our family and the holiday cookies they love.  I will have faith that you will love the recipes as much as we do and for the present part I am doing a Baking Bonanza Giveaway all week! (details below)

My husband was raised by an Italian mother and his grandfather (his mothers father) ran an Italian grocery store.  He likes all things Italian, especially the food.  He has very fond memories of his mothers cooking when he was a little boy and still asks for her to make her artichokes for him when we visit, the man loves them.   He also fondly talks of all the times he would work in his grandfathers grocery store or help him in his garden.

So of course his favorite Christmas Cookie is the Pignoli’s.  A chewy almond goodie topped with Pine Nuts (Pignoli in Italian).

Because  I love the guy so darn much I always am sure to make a batch up for him.  These seem to be the first ones to disappear off the cookie plate during the holidays, so make sure you treat the ones you love with a taste of these little italian biscotto’s.

If you are a fan of italian cookies check out my recipe for Anisette Cookies.

Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces pignoli (pine nuts)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Dash salt
• 1 8-ounce can almond paste
• 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with silpat liners or parchment. Place pine nuts “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 (like the Pampered Chef Scoop that is this weeks giveaway), scoop up a rounded spoon of dough and push dough side into the pine nuts so that they stick to 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 the shorter baking time if you like soft cookies; the longer baking time if you like them chewy. Cool 1 minute and remove to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tagged as: baking, Holiday