Type Macaroon Place of origin Italy | Region or state Sicily | |
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Main ingredients Almond paste, pine nuts Similar Pizzelle, Struffoli, Cuccidati, Amaretti di Saronno, Sfogliatella | ||
Pignolo (plural pignoli) is a macaroon typical of Sicily, Italy. It is a very popular cookie in all of southern Italy, and in Sicilian communities in the United States. It is also typical of Catalonia, where it is one of several related cookies called panellets, served on All Saints Day.
The cookie is a light golden color and studded with golden pine nuts (also called pignoli). Made with almond paste, the cookie is moist, soft and chewy beneath the pine nuts. Often it is formed in a crescent shape; otherwise it is round. This cookie is a popular Italian holiday treat, especially at Christmas. Because both almond paste and pine nuts are relatively expensive, and this cookie uses substantial amounts of both, this cookie is a luxury food.
Being essentially an almond macaroon, this cookie belongs to a type known as "amaretto".