Weekend Cooking...Christmas Eve

Contrary to the recipes you see here, I am not a huge fan of desserts.

Except cookies.

I love cookies. Not store bought cookies which I don't buy, but homemade cookies and the king of cookies are Christmas cookies. So many cookies..

So, what is my favorite cookie?
Well, it might have to be a chocolate chip..with nuts. But somehow I don't think of that as a Christmas cookie. What is another favorite and the perfect Christmas cookie?
Pignoli Nut Cookies!

Why? Well first, they are delicious. If you like almond flavor, and I do, they are perhaps the most almond-ish of cookies. They are chewy and topped with those creamy delicious pignoli nuts.
And they are rather expensive. The almond paste is not cheap and the nuts are not cheap, so they are the special perfect occasion cookie.
And they freeze perfectly.

Just four ingredients, five with the nuts...

Pignoli Cookies

Ingredients:
12 ounces almond paste
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups pine nuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with foil; lightly grease foil.
2. Mix almond paste and granulated sugar in food processor until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and 2 egg whites; process until smooth.
3. Whisk remaining 2 egg whites in small bowl. Place pine nuts on shallow plate. With lightly floured hands roll dough into 1 inch balls. Coat balls in egg whites, shaking off excess, then roll in pine nuts, pressing lightly to stick. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, and flatten slightly to form a 1 1/2 inch round.
4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

The Christmas cake is decorated and ready to go. 
The presents are wrapped.
The cookies are baked.
The tree is decorated.

I will be at my brother's for Christmas Eve. Last year we did a Seven Fish Dinner, but this year we are going a little easier, with baked ziti and meatballs and sausage and a substantial variety of other delicious things.

And of course, a cute doggie or two will be in attendance, wearing their Christmas bells.

---

This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

---