Panellets are really delightful lemon-scented marzipan cookies from the Catalonia region of Spain. They are very similar to the Italian Pignoli cookies.
These Pignoli cookies from Spain are coated with pine nuts, almonds or coconut. They are really easy to make at home and they can also be found in any bakery or pastry shop in Catalonia at the end of October and beginning or November. That’s if you are lucky enough to be in Barcelona or any other Catalonian city or town during that time. They are a must try.
When Are Panellets Eaten In Spain?
Panellets are eaten during the festival of La castañada ( Castanyada). This traditional festival is celebrated in the Catalonia Region of Spain (Called Catalunya in Catalan or Cataluña in Castilian Spanish) on November 1st and marks the end of the warm weather and beginning of colder temperatures and celebrates all saints day or día de todos los Santos, a national holiday. Vendors sell roasted chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes on the streets and panellets (pignoli cookies) are sold in pastry shops and bakeries.
What are Panellets?
Panellets are really delicious cookies made with a lemon scented almond cookies that are coated with pine nuts. These cookies are made with almond flour, sugar, egg, and lemon zest. They’re coated in pine nuts and baked to perfection for a really delicious cookie!
Panellets are a very seasonal cookie, when we lived in Barcelona, we saw these Pignoli cookies in the windows of bakeries all around the city at the end of October and beginning or November. They come in all different flavors (sweet potato, almond, coconut, etc)...but the pine nut ones are the most popular and our personal favorite, too!
Ingredients in Panellets Cookies
While Italian pignoli cookies are slightly flattened Spanish Panellets are rolled into balls. Flattened or rolled, they’re delicious either way. These traditional treats have very few ingredients, but lots of flavor.
- Almond meal - Traditional Pignoli cookies are made with almond paste, which is sweeter than almond meal and has almond extract, which we personally don’t like. We’ve found that using almond meal lets all the other ingredients, especially the citrus shine!
- Sugar - A must-have in any holiday cookie recipe!
- Lemon zest - You’ll need the zest of about two lemons for this recipe. The citrus flavor is absolutely incredible combined with the almond meal and pine nuts!
- Eggs - These will need to be slightly beaten, but keep them separated in two bowls! One egg will go into the dough, and one will be used for dipping the cookies.
- Pine nuts - Once dipped in egg, the rolled cookie dough gets dipped in pine nuts. Their soft, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor makes these cookies memorable!
Are Pignoli Cookies Gluten-Free?
You may have noticed that these delicious pine nut cookies are made with almond flour! This makes them naturally gluten-free, no fancy substitutions needed. They’re also dairy-free, though not vegan since they contain eggs.
How to Store Pignoli Cookies
Once baked and cooled, you can store your Pignoli cookies in an airtight container 3-4 days. They can also be frozen for up to two months if you want to enjoy them outside of the traditional October-November timeframe!
How To Make Pignoli Cookies (Panellets)
- First make the almond dough with almond flour, sugar, lemon zest and an egg.
- Then roll the dough and the hardest part is to roll the dough into the pine nuts until they are well coated with the nuts. Just be patient, it is worth the effort.
More Spanish Desserts
Dulce de Membrillo: Quince Paste
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Panellets - pignoli cookies - coated with pine nuts- A Cookie Treat from Spain
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Panellets are really delightful lemon-scented marzipan cookies from the Catalonia region of Spain. They are coated with pine nuts, almonds, or coconut and enjoyed during the Catalan Festival of La castañada.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup plus 1tbs sugar
- 2 tsp lemon zest (about two lemons)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten in two separate bowls
- ¾ cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, combine almond meal, sugar, lemon zest, and one beaten egg and mix with your hands to form a soft dough. Make sure to really knead the cookie dough, so all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Working with 2 teaspoons of dough at a time,(or a small ice cream scoop) form small balls using your hands
- Dip each cookie in the beaten egg.
- Making a cup with your hand fill it with pine nuts, coat cookies with pine nuts by shifting the dough from hand to hand and gently pressing them into the dough so they stick well. Press the cookie balls again to form a tight cookie.
- Arrange cookies on the baking sheet, lightly brush them with egg and bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Notes
- Post originally published on October 29th, 2012, and updated On October 30th, 2021.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 72
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 6
- Fat: 3.7
- Saturated Fat: .5
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.1
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 8.3
- Fiber: .8
- Protein: 1.8
- Cholesterol: 12
Jenny @ BAKE
hope that Sandy leaves you guys alone, and that if it does come away that you stay safe and sound. these cookies look amazing and I loved hearing about Spain's traditions
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you!! All is well here so far. Thankfully I didn't lose power, but my sister Vicky did as well as thousands of people in the area. It's a mess out there for what I hear, but the worst is over now.
Glad you like the cookie recipe 🙂
Our Kitchen Inventions
Hope you are safe and sound this morning! The cake looks like one we would all love to eat. Definitely special.
Our Kitchen Inventions
OOPS - My fingers typed "cake" while I was thinking "cookie treat"...must have something else on my mind. LOL!
mayihavethatrecipe
Hahaha! Cake, cookie... Either one works for me!
Thank you, we're all good over here now thank goodness! Praying for those who aren't so lucky...
Judee@ Gluten Free A-Z
These look divine, and I love the presentation on that beautiful red plate and bowl.
GEORGIA
sign me up please for your newsletter.
THANKS
Vicky & Ruth
We just signed you up...sorry for the delay! Enjoy!! 🙂
Linda FOX
These are the most delicious and rich cookies! As Vicky said, be patient..well worth it!
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you Linda!
Elaine
Just made a batch, so they are still a bit warm. So yummy!! The lemon really does shine through, and you are right, I would not want them any sweeter. The center was still a bit moist after 15 minutes so I put back in for another 3. Will make a batch for Thanksgiving!!
Vicky and Ruth
Great! Enjoy!
Chelsea
Made these cookies tonight! They were a big hit. Put them in for 15 minutes, and had a moist center, which we loved. Love the lemony undertones. Will make again! So pretty and yummy
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you so much!
Joy
Hello may I skip the sugar and use apple purée instead and skip the eggs too? If yes how much purée? Thank you for the recipe sounds yummy
Vicky and Ruth
Hi Joy, changing 2 ingredients of a recipe that only has 4 is risky. I don't think they will come out right. However, If you try the sunstitutions and they work out we would love to hear about them.