Dan Pelosi’s Pignoli Are the Life of the Cookie Party
Dan Pelosi is a firm believer that holiday joy is best shared through a cookie swap. For years, he’s hosted open-house-style gatherings where guests bring their favorite treats to a table covered in brown butcher paper—a tradition he’s chronicled in his cookbooks and online. His 2023 book Let’s Eat features classics like fig-filled cuccidati, but his newest release, Let’s Party, dedicates an entire section to the cookie party—an event he calls “without contest, my favorite day of the year.”
At the heart of these parties are his pignoli cookies, a simple yet decadent Italian tradition that translates to “pine nuts” in Italian. Chewy with an almond base and a pine nut-studded exterior, Pelosi refers to them as “the royalty of Italian sweets”—a fitting title for a cookie that steals the show at any gathering.
One of the best things about this recipe? The dough can be prepped days in advance: refrigerate it for up to three days or freeze it for a month, so you can focus on what matters most on the day of the party. “The true beauty of any cookie party is in the mingling and the storytelling,” Pelosi says. “Every cookie and every baker has a story to tell, and I love seeing them all come out at the party.”
Pignoli Cookie Recipe
Makes 50 cookies
Ingredients
24 ounces refrigerated almond paste
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg whites
16 ounces pine nuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line one or more rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and egg whites. Beat on medium speed until just combined into a sticky dough, about 2 minutes.
Pour the pine nuts into a small bowl. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough, roll it into a ball, then roll it through the pine nuts (press gently to help them adhere). Place the ball on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Let them cool completely on the pan before serving.
