Pinoccate are traditional Umbrian sweets, linked to the Christmas holidays. Based on sugar and pine nuts, with their characteristic rhombus shape, they can be white or black (in the chocolate variant).
Packaged in colorful papers, they are made with a mixture of water and sugar, boiled until you have a thick syrup, in which the pine nuts are then immersed. Poured the mixture onto a marble surface, while it cools it is modeled in many small rhombuses.
Put the sugar in a saucepan, add the water and mix; bring to a boil, then add the pine nuts and lemon peel, mixing everything well. Remove from the heat while continuing to mix and pour immediately on a marble or ceramic surface previously soaked with a little water; with the blade of a knife level the surface and let it cool. At this point you just have to cut the dough into the classic rhombuses, always using the wet blade of a knife.
Following this procedure, both types of pinoccate are made: to make the black ones, just add cocoa instead of lemon peel.