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    Home » Dessert Recipes » Cookies & Bars » Pignoli Cookies

    Pignoli Cookies

    5 Ingredient RecipesDairy Free RecipesGluten & Grain Free RecipesLow Carb & Keto RecipesSugar Free RecipesTrim Healthy Mama Recipes

    Published: Dec 19, 2016 by Taryn

    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
    Print Recipe Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image for pignoli cookies

    Pignoli Cookies are a slightly sweet, chewy cookie made from almond paste and covered with pine nuts. They are a favorite of my husband's family and they are a must at Christmas. This easy recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly. 

    plate of keto pignoli cookies

    collage of food
    Free Guide! Feed a Family on a Low Carb Diet

    In this free 5-day email series learn all my tips for incorporating a low-carb lifestyle into the life of your family.

    In addition, this easy pignoli cookie recipe also fits your weight loss goals perfectly without sacrificing any flavor or texture. This is perfect for those looking to eat healthily but not sacrifice their love of baking whatsoever

    These low carb treats are enjoyed by my husband's family during Christmas time when they're given as presents or reserved just for special occasions like birthdays!

    three pignoli cookies on a plate

    Pine Nuts

    I don't think I ever tried Pignoli Cookies before I met my husband. They are divine but pricey. At the local Italian bakeries, these are $22 a pound. I don't blame them based on the price of pine nuts. They are considerably cheaper to make but still expensive enough I only make them once a year for Christmas. At Costco, pine nuts are about $24 for 24 oz. I used 8 oz in this recipe. Add in the cost of almonds and sweetener and this was about a $10-12 recipe to make 26 cookies. But I promise it's worth it. If you like pine nuts and you like cookies (does anyone not like cookies?) this will be your new favorite recipe.

    With only four ingredients this is the simplest cookie recipe I have. It is dairy and sugar-free, low carb, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly. I won't need to cheat at Christmas with these on the dessert table.

    Pignoli Cookies Ingredients:

    2 cups slivered almonds

    ½ cup Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet (or my sweetener blend)

    ¼ cup egg whites

    8 oz pine nuts

    finely ground sweetener for dusting, optional

    close up on food processor full of batter

    How to Make Pignoli Cookies

    First, you need to make almond paste. To make almond paste process the almonds and sweetener in the food processor for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally.

    Next, add the egg whites. Process until the dough comes together and is about the consistency of nut butter.

    Then roll balls of dough in the pine nuts. Bake and sprinkle with powdered sweetener.

    parchment paper lined with pignoli cookie dough next to a container of pine nuts and food processor full of cookie dough

    Can I use another type of nut?

    Yes. This recipe also works with other types of nuts coating the cookies. If you are on a budget try them with almond slivers or chopped walnuts instead of the pignoli nuts!

    close up on pignoli cookies from above

    More Low Carb Christmas Recipes:

    Glazed Maple Walnut Cookies

    Keto Lemon Cookies

    Keto French Toast Casserole

    Ginger Molasses Cookies

    Florentine Cookies Recipe

    Keto Eggs Benedict Casserole

    close up on keto pignoli cookies dusted in a powdered sweetener

     

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    close up on pignoli cookies from above

    Pignoli Cookies

    Pignoli Cookies are a slightly sweet, chewy cookie made from almond paste and covered with pine nuts.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian American
    Servings: 26 cookies
    Calories: 107
    Author: Taryn

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups slivered almonds
    • ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
    • ¼ cup egg whites
    • 8 oz pine nuts
    • powdered erythritol optional
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350.
    • Process the almonds and sweetener in the food processor for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally. Add the egg whites. Process until it comes together and is about the consistency of peanut butter.
    • Put the pine nuts in a shallow bowl. Drop tablespoons of the dough into the pine nuts. Roll the balls of dough around covering them with nuts. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden. Cool completely and dust with powdered sweetener, if desired.

    Notes

    Notes on Sweeteners: 
    I use my own blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. This is twice as sweet as sugar. It is comparable to Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet and Truvia.
    To sub in Swerve or Lakanto Monk Fruit use 1.5 times the amount of sweetener called for. 
     
    To sub in Pyure or Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet use half the amount of sweetener called for.
     
    Substitutions will work in most recipes. They may not work in candies, such as caramel.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 107 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.8mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @joyfilledeats or tag #joyfilledeats!

     

     

     

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Silvana Karim says

      February 07, 2021 at 12:37 am

      Hello I had almond flour on hand and used it instead of the slivered almonds. I followed the recipe directions and I also added 2 extracts -vanilla and almond. They came out fine. Thank you for sharing I was looking to find a recipe lower in carbs and it's a pleasure to have found an alternative.

      Reply
    2. Laurie says

      July 13, 2020 at 2:10 pm

      If I should try the almond flour do you think it would still be 2 cups since it's already grounded up?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        July 13, 2020 at 3:58 pm

        Yes, I've tested it both ways and 2 cups works.

        Reply
    3. SUsan says

      March 30, 2020 at 7:35 pm

      Sweeteners in hand or Swerve and monk fruit. Either work here?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        March 30, 2020 at 8:19 pm

        I have not tested them but I think either will work.

        Reply
    4. Triveni says

      April 08, 2019 at 1:59 am

      love the recipe, glad to see that you've shared the low card and sugar free version. Surely gonna try this, thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    5. march says

      January 25, 2019 at 4:17 am

      First recipe I tried for this type of cookie, I rarely bake. The directions were easy, I found parchment paper worked much better than silpat. It also took a few extra minutes in the oven than specified, but they came out perfect and tasted great!5 stars

      Reply
    6. Cathy says

      April 14, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      What is the serving portion for the carbs? Is it per cookie? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        April 14, 2017 at 7:54 pm

        The nutrition is calculated per cookie.

        Reply
    7. Theresa Gwozdz says

      January 08, 2017 at 4:25 pm

      I made these cookies today.. A little disappointed.. Seemed like there was a lot of oil that was released from processing.. I followed the recipe, added splenda, added a teasp. of almond extract.. seemed like it needed a boost..
      When it was time to roll, too much oil in the batter.. even had a hard time with having the pine nuts stick to it..
      baked for 20 minutes and they actually stayed like a ball when I made them. I was making these for a friend, I'm sure he'll they are delicious. I do make traditional pignoli cookies for the holiday, thought this would be a wonderful treat. It is definitely a different taste, I guess that's too be expected.. I will let you know how my friend liked these.. I would like to try these again, any pointers?? Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        January 08, 2017 at 9:39 pm

        I didn't use splenda when I made them so that must have made the difference. It isn't always possible to swap out sweeteners. If your almond extract had oil that might have messed things up too. Sorry they didn't work for you.

        Reply
    8. Gerri says

      December 21, 2016 at 2:26 am

      Would almond butter work? If so, how much? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        December 21, 2016 at 7:03 am

        I don't think so. Sorry.

        Reply
    9. Liza says

      December 20, 2016 at 6:54 pm

      Hi I don't have slivered almonds , just flour and whole almonds. What would you use out of those two or should I wait till I get the slivers? Thanks

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        December 20, 2016 at 10:10 pm

        I don't know if either of those will work. You could use the whole almonds if you remove the skins but that is a pain in the butt. I've done it before. The almond flour might work but make sure it looks like my picture before making cookies out of it. It would stink to waste the pine nuts.

        Reply
    10. Tanya Brillhart says

      December 20, 2016 at 4:53 pm

      These look soooo good....alas I can't stand pine nuts. Wondering if any other nut could be subbed?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        December 20, 2016 at 10:11 pm

        Sure. You could roll them in more slivered almonds or any other chopped nut.

        Reply
      • Merry says

        April 14, 2017 at 6:49 pm

        I was thinking of subbing almond slivers.

        Reply
    11. allison Gismondi says

      December 19, 2016 at 10:45 pm

      OMG these are our favorite cookies for Christmas!! I will be making these for sure. I cant believe how easy it looks too!! Thank you so much for this recipe!

      Reply

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