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Biscotti
con Pignoli -- Cookies with Pine Nuts
For a long time, pignolis, or pine nuts were
the only nut I would eat, and although I now eat walnuts &
almonds, I still love pignolis in pasta, in pilafs, and yes,
in cookies! This Italian cookie recipe is a Christmas favorite.
My friend's mother makes these kinds of cookies every Christmas
and I think they are a nice contrast to many of the more sugary
Christmas cookies that are so popular during the holidays.
Preheat
oven to 350 F [175 C] and lightly grease cookie sheets with
butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Cream together the almond paste, sugars and honey to form
a smooth batter.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, add vanilla, then gradually
mix into the batter.
Spread the pignoli
in a dish. Drop the batter by teaspoonful into the nuts,
then place onto a cookie sheet leeping approx.
1-inch [2.5 cm] in between each cookie.
Bake for
12-14 minutes or until golden. Remove carefully from baking
sheet with a spatula while still warm, and allow to fully cool
on a wire rack.
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Ingredients
2
lbs [900 g] almond paste
1 1/2 cups [150 g] confectioners sugar
8 egg whites (room temp)
1 lb [450 g] pignoli (pine) nuts
1 1/2 cups [300 g] sugar or sucanat
2 tablespoons honey (orange blossom if you can get it)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Makes
about 4 dozen.
Christmas Tree Ornaments
featuring All Original Art
Sucanat is
basically dehydrated sugar cane with little to no processing,
making it an excellent source of iron, calcium, vitamin
B6, potassium and chromium, which helps balance blood sugar. Malitol is
a bit more expensive, but is a little less sweet than actual
sugar. What's nice about Sucanat is you can use in a 1:1
ratio wherever you'd use sugar. You can get more info about
using nutritious, natural sweetener substitutes for your
holiday baking here.
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