Pinoccate Perugine

Name: Pinoccate Perugine
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Umbra
Ingredients: 300 g pine nuts; 300 g granulated sugar; 80 ml Water; 1 piece untreated lemon; 15 g Unsweetened cocoa powder; 10 ml sunflower oil

Traditional Perugian Christmas confections of whole pine nuts bound in sugar syrup, made in white lemon and dark cocoa diamond pairs. Also called pinocchiate.

🇮🇹Italy· Umbria

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 12
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 210 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 6 gathered

Servings

300 g pine nuts — whole Mediterranean pine nuts, split into two equal batches
300 g granulated sugar — split into two equal batches
80 ml Water — split into two equal batches
1 piece untreated lemon — finely grated zest only, for the white batch
15 g Unsweetened cocoa powder — sifted, for the dark batch
10 ml sunflower oil — for lightly greasing the work surface

Equipment

•heavy-based saucepan
•marble slab or baking parchment
•sugar thermometer
•sharp chef knife
•wooden spoon

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 210 kcal
fat: 10 g
carbs: 27 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 4 g
calories: 210 kcal

Instructions

1
Lightly grease a clean marble slab or sheet of baking parchment with sunflower oil.
2
Combine 150 g sugar and 40 ml water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat.
3
Stir gently until sugar dissolves, then simmer without stirring until syrup reaches 115 degrees C.
4
Stir in 150 g pine nuts and the grated lemon zest quickly with a wooden spoon.
5
Cook gently for two minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the nuts evenly.
6
Tip the hot white mixture onto the prepared surface and spread to one centimetre thickness.
7
Cut into diamond shapes using an oiled knife while still warm and pliable.
8
Combine the remaining sugar, water, and cocoa powder in a clean saucepan over medium heat.
9
Bring to 115 degrees C, stir in the remaining pine nuts, and cook for two minutes.
10
Spread the dark mixture on the slab, flatten to one centimetre, and slice into matching diamonds.
11
Allow both white and dark diamond sweets to cool and set completely at room temperature.

Chef's tips

Work swiftly when spreading and slicing because the sugar hardens rapidly as it cools. Use an oiled chef knife to score the diamonds cleanly without crushing the pine nuts. Always prepare each batch separately to keep the white and cocoa colours distinct.

Ingredient substitutions

sunflower oil → sweet almond oil or neutral baking parchment
untreated lemon → natural vanilla extract, though lemon zest is the Perugia standard

Storage

Store in an airtight tin layered between sheets of baking parchment at cool room temperature for up to four weeks.

Reheating

Do not reheat; serve crisp and firm at room temperature.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Letting the sugar mixture cool too much before cutting, which causes it to shatter instead of slicing cleanly
•Overcooking the sugar past soft-ball stage, which makes the sweets rock hard rather than tender
•Cooking both white and cocoa nuts together, losing the traditional two-tone presentation

Serving suggestions

Serve in traditional contrasting pairs of one pale lemon and one dark cocoa diamondWrap individually in colourful fringed tissue paper as festive Christmas giftsPair with Umbrian Vin Santo or an espresso after a holiday feast