For a delightfully sweet Italian dessert, these pignoli cookies are created with almond paste, sugar, and pine nuts.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 2 cups |
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups whole almonds
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
- Combine sugar, water, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Add almonds; cook and stir mixture until liquid evaporates and leaves a syrupy coating on almonds.
- Pour almonds onto the prepared baking sheet; use two forks to separate clumps and spread into an even layer. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Reviews
Easy to make, keep stirring! Directions and other tips were helpful. I used half recipe and it came out great.
This really is an easy recipe. You have to keep stirring it or the sugar will burn. Love vanilla in it and I add extra Cinnamon. I also threw in an extra cup of almonds in the last batch and it still came out great. Spread out the sugar content a little 😉
Tried and true! Enjoyed the vanilla option as noted in others comments.
Well, I leave a review to help others. I made this, thinking it looked so simple. I watched for the end of the steam (boiling it down) but finally realized it wasn’t steam anymore but smoke. The sugar was burning! I had smoke all through my house. I quickly dumped it in my field. The nuts were burned too. I’m sure it was a combination of my not solely using medium heat, my smooth top cooktop (which can overheat) and my not reading the directions closely enough (I would have realized it was to take longer). Learn from my mistake! It would have been much faster and more efficient if I just dumped 2 cups of almonds in the trash. ;-/
Turned out perfectly delicious
The direction we’re right on the money. I added a little vanilla and salt to make sweet and salty. They are delicious. I also used parchment paper and worked great.
I made these and they’re very good. I added a sprinkle of Himalayan salt afterwards for some umami… the recipe is simple to follow. I’ll definitely be making these this winter, and I may even add other nuts and dry chilli flakes.
DO NOT stop cooking when the almonds seem covered in syrup. Keep going until the liquid is gone. Then quickly remove it from heat and scrape out onto the waiting wax paper to cool. (can bake if almonds are soft)
Add vanilla! Why is this recipe devoid of vanilla? A healthy splash and then some. And cook longer than stated, till they LOOK like candied almonds. Not syrup. Syrup consistency is not long enough. Then transfer to the sheet pan Delicious!
This does come alrite using Splenda or stevia!! I just added any where from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup More sugar than what is called for.. The second batch I made, I used 1 cup of stevia and added 1 tablespoon of Regular Brown Sugar. And that batch came out great also..
So easy to make and oh so yummy ! After making the regular then the cinnamon I took it to the chocolate level and just added chocolate chips it’s fantastic and easy
I wished I had read the comments before making as I stop at the syrup stage. They taste good but not texture I wanted.
I added 1 tsp of vanilla after removing the mixture from the heat and before spreading on the pan. The mixture sets up quickly once revealed from the heat.
Did everything recipe calls for and they came out perfect. I used roasted almonds. Thanks for the recipe.
actually perfect
After reading the reviews, I used 2 cups of Costco mixed nuts. Added a bit of cayenne and teaspoon of Mexican vanilla, then baked at 350 for 15 minutes (as one reviewer suggested) to crisp up a bit more. Incredibly easy and tasty recipe! (Note: instead of crisping up the coating melted! Not sure how they turned out for the reviewer whose hint I borrowed, but I doubt I’ll try that again:)
I made this recipe using raw almonds, and it came out well. Can anyone tell me if it works with dry roasted almonds? The recipe doesn’t specify what kind of almonds to use.
I followed this recipe and my family absolutely loved it, this recipe is super delicious and easy to follow . Thank you so much.
I used about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Turned out beautifully. Great topper for spinach salad.
Horrible waste of time and ingredients … cooked these on medium and medium-low for over and hour and kept stirring but liquid never evaporated and it just became a gooey burnt mess. I read all the reviews and followed the instructions as written.
This is a very forgiving recipe. I didn’t cook the mixture long enough and my almonds were sticky. Just put them back on the stove and cooked a little longer. They came out perfectly. I noticed that when the syrup starts to crystalize on the side of the pot then it is ready.