Pignoli cookies, also known as pine nut cookies, are a classic Italian cookie made with pine nuts, sugar, egg whites and almond paste. They are a delicious treat, but pine nuts can be quite expensive, so many bakers wonder: how much does a pound of pignoli cookies cost to make?
The Cost of Ingredients
To determine the cost of a pound of pignoli cookies, we first need to look at the ingredient costs:
Pine Nuts
Pine nuts are the most expensive ingredient in pignoli cookies. Pine nuts can range from $20-$50 per pound depending on the variety, with Italian pine nuts being the most costly. For the purposes of this estimate, let’s assume pine nuts cost $30 per pound.
Almond Paste
Almond paste is another pricey ingredient, running $12-$20 per pound. Let’s estimate $15 per pound for our calculation.
Granulated Sugar
Granulated sugar costs approximately $1 per pound.
Egg Whites
Eggs whites cost about $3 per cup. Allowing for some waste, let’s estimate $0.50 per egg white.
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour costs around $0.50 per pound.
Standard Pignoli Cookie Recipe
Here is a standard pignoli cookie recipe for reference:
| Pine Nuts: | 1 cup |
| Almond Paste: | 1 cup |
| Granulated Sugar: | 1 cup |
| Egg Whites: | 2 egg whites |
| All-Purpose Flour: | 1 1/4 cups |
This recipe makes about 36 cookies.
Cost Breakdown Per Pound
Now let’s break down the cost per pound of pignoli cookies based on the standard recipe:
Pine Nuts
1 cup of pine nuts = approx. 5 oz
At $30/lb for pine nuts:
5 oz pine nuts = $9.38
Almond Paste
1 cup almond paste = approx. 5 oz
At $15/lb for almond paste:
5 oz almond paste = $4.69
Sugar
1 cup sugar = approx. 7 oz
At $1/lb for sugar:
7 oz sugar = $0.44
Egg Whites
2 egg whites = approx. 2 oz
At $0.50 per egg white
2 egg whites = $1
All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup flour = approx. 5 oz
At $0.50/lb for flour:
5 oz flour = $0.16
Total Cost Per Batch
Pine nuts: $9.38
Almond paste: $4.69
Sugar: $0.44
Egg whites: $1
Flour: $0.16
Total: $15.67 for 36 cookies
Or $0.44 per cookie
Cost Per Pound of Pignoli Cookies
Each pignoli cookie weighs approximately 1 oz.
There are 16 oz in 1 lb.
So one batch of 36 cookies makes:
36 oz of cookies
Which is 2.25 lbs of cookies per batch
The total cost per batch is $15.67
So the cost per lb of pignoli cookies is:
$15.67 / 2.25 lbs = $6.97 per lb
Conclusion
Based on typical ingredient prices and the standard pignoli cookie recipe, a pound of homemade pignoli cookies costs approximately $6.97 to make. This cost may vary slightly depending on the specific prices and quantities used. The high cost is largely due to the pine nuts, which are quite expensive compared to other ingredients. But the end result is a delicious, decadent cookie that makes a wonderful Italian treat!