Croissants Pignons(Pine Nut Crescents)
Submitted by browneyes42011
French-Italian almond crescent cookies rolled in pine nuts. Just four ingredients, naturally gluten-free, with a chewy-crisp texture from an overnight rest before baking.
YIELD
50 cookiesPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
24 hrsPignoli cookies meet French finesse in these elegant little crescents.
Ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites get pulsed in a food processor, chilled overnight, then shaped into crescents and rolled in pine nuts. A second overnight rest uncovered lets the surface dry out, which is the secret to that crackly crust with a chewy, marzipan-like center.
Four ingredients. No flour. No butter. Naturally gluten-free without even trying.
The yield is 50 cookies, making these ideal for holiday cookie boxes, Italian cookie trays, or any occasion that calls for something a little more refined than a chocolate chip.
Pro Tips
- Don’t skip either rest period. The first firms the dough for shaping. The second dries the surface for that signature crackled top
- Press the pine nuts gently but firmly into the dough so they stick during baking
- Line your sheet pans with parchment if you want easy release, even though the original says ungreased
- Store in an airtight container. These actually improve over a day or two as the almond flavor deepens
Ingredients
Directions
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process almonds, sugar and egg white until well combined.
Refrigerate in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid for 24 hours.
Form the dough into 2½-inch crescents.
Roll crescents in the pine nuts, then pat pine nuts gently into the dough.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets and set aside, uncovered and unrefrigerated, overnight.
Bake crescents in a preheated 400 degree F oven 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Makes 50 cookies.
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