Place 8 ounces of almond paste into a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup of granulated sugar. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, break apart the almond paste into smaller chunks and mix it with the sugar until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with small almond paste pieces still visible, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour in 2 egg whites and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the almond paste mixture. Stir gently but constantly, folding the wet ingredients into the dry until everything comes together in a thick, sticky dough, about 1 minute. Do not overmix.

Add 1/2 cup of pine nuts to the dough and fold them in using gentle, sweeping motions until incorporated, about 15 to 20 seconds.

Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the dough and fold it in with just a few turns of your spatula.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour remaining 1/2 cup of pine nuts into a shallow bowl, and pour 1/2 cup of powdered sugar into another shallow bowl.

Using a tablespoon measure or small cookie scoop, portion out roughly 1-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently round each mound with your hands into a ball shape.

Working with one cookie at a time, roll each ball in the powdered sugar bowl until evenly coated on all sides, then immediately roll it in the bowl of pine nuts, pressing gently so the nuts adhere to the sugar coating. Return each coated ball to the baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let shaped cookies rest on the baking sheets for 10 minutes while the oven preheats.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until the edges of the cookies are firm and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underbaked. The cookies should jiggle slightly when you gently tap the baking sheet.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes without moving them. Transfer them to a wire rack or serving plate using a spatula, and let them cool completely before eating.