Italian Pignoli Cookie

Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Line 2 cookie sheets with Silpat liners or parchment. Place pine nuts or pignoli in a shallow dish.

Combine granulated sugar, confectioners sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl and lightly toss.

Place almond paste in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer and mix to break up. Add beaten egg whites and mix on low speed until smooth. Add almond extract and flour mixture and beat until flour is blended in, about 30 seconds. Do not over-beat.

Using a teaspoon or a scooper, scoop up a rounded spoon of dough and push the dough side into the pine nuts so that they stick to the dough.

Ease dough out of scoop so that pine nuts are facing up on baking sheet. Place 2″ apart and re-apply any loose nuts.

Bake cookies for about 25 minutes. Use a shorter baking time if you like soft cookies and a longer baking time if you like them chewy. Cool 1 minute and remove to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.