Hedgehog Cookies

My sister made me this beautiful cake for my birthday. It looks like Mike Wazowski, does it not?

 

Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, or if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the American sense, just a nice, happy day. It's definitely not an American thing (or something limited to a certain holiday) to get together with your loved ones and share a meal. And I'm a big proponent of letting other people know how much you appreciate them. Go ahead, make someone's day. You never know how much they might need it. 

So we had extraordinary amounts of pine nuts in the house for some reason, and since I don't like pumpkin pie (I know, I know...it's a texture issue, okay?) I decided to make some pignoli cookies. I added a bit of black cocoa to the mix, and just rolled these suckers in pine nuts (which is probably not necessary, seeing as pine nuts are rather expensive). They're awesome! But, according to my mother, not exactly the correct texture for pignoli cookies. They turned out softer and not as chewy or crackly. But, they remind me of hedgehogs. So hedgehog cookies they are!

Hedgehog Cookies

1 (8 oz) Can Almond Paste

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp All-purpose Flour

2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

2 Medium Egg Whites, Lightly Beaten

8 Ounces Pine Nuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, or use silicone linings. Place the pine nuts in a bowl.

In a food processor, break up the almond paste into small pieces, and pulse with the two sugars, cocoa, and the flour. Once the mixture is finely ground, begin to add the egg whites a little at a time, just until the dough comes together. Depending on the humidity, or the size of your egg whites, sometimes you may need all of the egg whites, while other times you won't.

Using a spoon and slightly wet hands, scoop a small spoonful of the dough, and place this into the bowl of pignoli. Roll the cookie arround until it is lightly coated, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Continue forming the cookies in this manner, placing them 2 inches apart on the baking pan. Bake the cookies 20 to 25 minutes, and then cool. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving.