Crumbly Pignoli Cookies

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside
2. Beat 2 egg whites and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl add almond paste, and sugar and beat the two together until you have a crumbly paste.
4. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar in the bowl and the two beaten egg whites in the mix and mix well. Set aside.
5. Beat the remaining egg whites in a shallow bowl and set aside.
6. In another bowl, add all the pine nuts and set aside.
7. Take a small portion out of the sugar dough and roll it into 1-inch thick cookie.
8. Dip the cookie in the egg whites, then in the bowl with pine nuts and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
9. Repeat the same process with the entire dough and place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
10. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 325° F for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies are light brown.
11. Make sure to allow the cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet.
12. Store the cookies in a jar and enjoy the delicious confectionary anytime you want.

Trivia:

• Pine nuts are excavated from inside the pine cones.
• Pine nuts might have nuts in their name, but they are actually legumes.
• Some pine nuts take as long as three years to mature. So the pine nut that ate in just a second might actually have taken 36 months to reach this stage.  
• Pesto, pasta and cookies are three food staples that are made a lot tastier and delicious with the addition of pine nuts.

Pine nuts are an essential food source for deer and wild boars, both of them are primary preys of Amur tiger.