Pignoli Cookies

375 degrees

Break up almond paste into small pieces and, on a low speed, cream together with the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg whites, one at a time, while machine is running, stopping between additions to scrap dough off the sides. Beat until dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone liner. Using a pastry bag with a small round tip, pipe 1 1⁄2” balls about 1 inch apart. Tamp down the little peak on top of each ball (and to moisten it), fold a dampened dish towel lengthwise into quarters and lay it gently over each row of cookies, applying just enough pressure to slightly flatten the ball.

Sprinkle pine nuts (or half a candied cherry in the center) onto the top of the cookies, pressing the nuts lightly into the cookie so they adhere. Remove from baking pan any nuts that don’t adhere. Bake until cookies turn golden and nuts begin to turn brown, 12-15 minutes. Place pan on wire rack and cool cookies completely before removing from tray. Makes about 48 cookies.