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These deliciously sweet and surprising cookies — made from the seeds of pine trees!are so good; if you haven’t tried them yet, you should do so now! Pine nuts aren’t the cheapest nuts at the store, but for a seasonal treat, they’re worth the extra splurge; you can also substitute almonds for some of the pine nuts and it will be just as yummy! The beauty of these cookies is that they’re crisp on the outside and wonderfully chewy and moist on the inside. As long as you don’t overcook them (you don’t want to end up with bitter nuts), these cookies are the best!

Pine Nut Cookies

Yields 3-4 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups pine nuts, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 (8 oz.) cans almond paste, crumbled
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F and line baking trays with parchment paper.
  2. Place 1 cup pine nuts, almond paste, sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until finely ground. About 1 minute.
  3. Add in egg, honey and vanilla, and pulse until dough has come together and everything is completely combined.

    Note: place a small bowl of water near your workstation to keep your fingers from getting sticky.

  4. Use a spoon to roll dough into 1-inch balls and transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking tray, spacing them 2 inches apart.
  5. Press extra pine nuts firmly into the tops of cookies and flatten cookies down slightly.
  6. Place in oven and bake for 13-15 minutes, or when cookies are springy to the touch, switching the position of the baking trays halfway through.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Recipe adapted from What’s Cooking America

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