Pignolo (cookie)
Italian cookie covered in pine nuts / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pignolo or pignoli (Italian: pinolate, Italian: [pinoˈlaːte], or Italian: pignolate, Italian: [piɲɲoˈlaːte]) are a type of cookie originating in Neapolitan, Genovese, and Umbrian cuisine.[5][6][7] It is a popular cookie in all of southern Italy, and in Sicilian communities in the United States.[8]
Type | Macaroon |
---|---|
Place of origin | Italy |
Region or state | |
Main ingredients | Almond paste, pine nuts[4] |
Pignolo is a light golden color and studded with golden pine nuts (pinoli in Italian). Made with almond paste and egg whites, the cookie is moist, soft and chewy.[9][10]
Often they are formed into crescents;[citation needed] otherwise the cookies are round.[11] Pignoli are a popular Italian holiday treat, especially at Christmas. Because both almond paste and pine nuts are relatively expensive, and this cookie uses substantial amounts of both, it is a luxury food.[12]
Being essentially an almond macaroon, this cookie belongs to a type known as amaretto.[13]