Pinolate (cookie) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Pinolate'' ( pl.: ) or ''pignolate'' (, sg.: ''pinolata / pignolata'') are a type of 
The cookies are light golden color and studded with golden
cookie
A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...
originating in Neapolitan
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
Geography and history
* Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city
* Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...
, Genovese
Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname.
People
* Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist
* Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine arti ...
and Umbrian
Umbrian is an extinct Italic language formerly spoken by the Umbri in the ancient Italian region of Umbria. Within the Italic languages it is closely related to the Oscan group and is therefore associated with it in the group of Osco-Umbr ...
cuisine. They are popular in all of southern Italy
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
, and in Sicilian communities in the United States, where they may also be known as ''pignoli'' (sg.: ''pignolo'').
The cookies are light golden color and studded with golden pine nut
Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are traded locall ...
s (''pinoli'' in Italian). Made with almond paste
Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar in equal quantities, with small amounts of cooking oil, eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup added as a binder. It is similar to marzipan, with a coarser texture. Almond paste is used a ...
and egg whites, they are moist, soft and chewy.
''Pinolate'' are a popular Italian holiday treat, especially at Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
. Because both almond paste and pine nuts are relatively expensive and these cookies use substantial amounts of both, it is a luxury food.
Being essentially an almond macaroon
A macaroon ( ) is a small cake or cookie, originally made from ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar, but now often with coconut or other nuts. They may also include jam, chocolate, or other flavorings.
Etymology
The name ''macaroon'' is ...
, ''pinolate'' belong to a type known as "amaretto".
See also
*Pignolata
''Pignolata'' ( Sicilian: ''pignulata'') is a Sicilian pastry originating in the city of Messina. It is a soft pastry, covered in chocolate and lemon-flavoured syrup or icing. This pastry is half covered or iced in one flavouring and the other ...
* List of Italian desserts and pastries
This is a list of Italian cuisine, Italian desserts and Pastry, pastries. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian desserts have been heavily influenced ...
* List of almond dishes
This is a list of almond foods and dishes, which use almond as a primary ingredient. The almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. "Almond" is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within ...
References
{{Nut confections Almond cookies Christmas food Cuisine of Sicily Italian cookies