Panellets Pine Nut Cookies Food

PINE NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, fennel seed, and salt in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the flour and mix just until blended.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into an 8-inch-long log. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line heavy large baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Press the pine nuts decoratively atop the cookies. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

PANELLETS (CATALAN ALL-SAINTS COOKIES)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a small saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender; drain. Mash the potatoes with a fork. Allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly butter a baking sheet.
• Combine the cooled potatoes and almonds. Slowly add the sugar while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir in the lemon zest; continue mixing with your hands. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the pine nuts; brush with egg yolk. Form each ball into a crescent shape. Cover each cookie with cornstarch and then brush with egg white. Arrange cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

PANELLETS (PINE NUT COOKIES)

Steps:

• To blanche the almonds: Add the almonds to boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse them in cold water. You should be able to easily remove the almonds from thier skins. Filling: In a food processor, mix the nuts amd 1 tsp of flour (you may been more flour if using the pine nuts) until it reaches a consisteny of fine bread crumbs (pine nuts might look like chunky PB beacuse of all the oil in them). Add the nut paste to a mixing bowl, and all the sugar and lemon zest. Add the egg slowly, blending well. (if using pine nuts, you should eyeball it with the egg, you might only need 1/2 to make the paste. If the paste is too wet, add a little bit more flour). Knead it all till its an even, pliable dough. Outter Cookie: In a lare bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, almond and vanilla extracts, and blend well. In a separate bowl, sift and conbine the flour and salt, and then slowly mix the flour into the butter mixture. When a dough is formed, wrap it in saran wrap and refridgerate for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the "outer" dough out till about 1/4 in thick. Cut with a round cookie cutter. Take these little cookies and spoon a small amout of the nut paste in the center. Bring the sides of the outer cookie up and around the paste, to completely envelop it, and roll the cookies in the palm of your hands to make a ball. Roll the top 1/2 of the cookie around in the pine nuts, and push them into the dough. Bake the cookies on a cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes, the bottom edges of the cookie and nuts will turn slightly golden. Do not brown. Remove and cool. Dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy!