Basic cookie, with pine nuts

My experiences in New York are always linked to a tiny little 2+ block radius in the West Village, where my cousin lives. It's where I stayed the very first time I visited New York at 17, where I stayed before I went up to Poughkeepsie for college, where I lived for several years thanks to the generosity of said cousin - in a cozy basement apartment, watching her adorable daughters grow up. When I visit New York now, I still end up there, where things have changed so much, and yet not at all.

One rather dramatic change is to one of two Italian bakeries just a block away, which has sadly become a Starbucks. The other, Rocco's, remains - thank goodness - because it's the source of one of my parents' favorite cookie. My cousin recommended them to me, pignole (pine nut) cookies - seemingly a simple butter cookie with pine nuts pressed into the top. Every time I would go to visit my parents, I would stop at Rocco's and pick up a box to take to them (white box, wrapped in red-and-white baker's twine - they still do this! So old fashioned and nostalgic). They are a not-to-sweet, soft yet dense cookie with loads of pine nuts that give it just a little savory note.

With my visits to New York become more and more rare, I thought, I wonder if there is a way I can recreate these cookies. They seem simple enough... Then I did a Google search and discovered that these cookies are made with almond paste! No wonder they are so delicious. However, I am on a down-sizing mission, and I refuse to buy anything that is for a specific, one-off recipe. Maybe I could find another use for the almond paste, but I'd fallen for that trap before, and been straddled with all sorts of random products.

So then I started thinking about cookies that I'm used to making, like chocolate chip or sugar cookies, and wondered if I could just modify those and throw in pine nuts. Before wildly experimenting though, I somewhat prophetically checked out the book Ratio by Michael Ruhlman from the library. He had a chapter on cookie dough, and a template to use.

The basic template - or ratio - is:

• 2 oz sugar (4-1/2 tbsp)
• 4 oz butter (1 stick), softened
• 6 oz flour (1 to 1-1/2 cup)
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 min

Mix the sugar and butter together (I will often use a hand mixer, but I've also done this with a wooden spoon), then slowly add the flour until mixed. Ruhlman likes to shape into a roll, wrap in plastic and refrigerate, then cut and bake. I just spoon directly onto sheet pan and bake.

He says this is an "adult" cookie, not too sweet, really a shortbread. I tried it and indeed, it is a very delicious and simple recipe, perfect to go with a cup of tea. Also, the proportions are fairly small, making about 28 small cookies. But, I found the cookie a tad dry, so I delved further... and Ruhlman also suggests using different sugars, and adding eggs and/or baking powder, to adjust the final cookie.

I tried a batch with one egg and a splash of vanilla extract, adding at after mixing the butter and sugar, with pine nuts folded in at the end. This dough was a little smoother, easier to mix, and easier to scoop out with my little ice cream scooper. The dough does not spread at all when baking, so whatever shape it's in when it goes in the oven is pretty much the shape it will come out. I like having a flat cookie shape as opposed to an ice cream scoop shape, so I patted the cookies down a bit.

I like my cookies a little underdone, and they always end up cooking longer as they cool, so I only baked these for 10-11 minutes - just enough for them to change color and brown just slightly around the edges.

These have been a hit with my folks. A little soft without being unstable, less dense I believe due to the egg, and pine nuts distributed somewhat evenly. My mom actually thought it was a recipe for the pignole cookies from Rocco's! I probably won't fool one of their bakers, but certainly I think we can live with these until my next trip to New York.