Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple Tarts – Open Filling

Pineapple Tarts – Closed Filling

This is my first year making pineapple tarts 黄梨酥, and the photos above are my second attempt. On both attempts, I am closed to crying when making them because I find cutting the shapes for the open tart so difficult =( (it’s quite flakey and if it had torn edges, I will redo them … so I took a long time to cut the shapes nicely T_T (I find that the pastry cannot be rolled too thin when you cut it, and you cannot over-knead the dough).

I thought I was being really clever when I decided to attempt pineapple tarts this year because I think it should be a piece of cake =P if I ‘cheat’ with store-bought pineapple paste – all I had to do is to make the pastry … right? Wrong! Somehow it turned out to be a tedious, back breaking process for me T_T I am a total noob when it comes to baking. But I did end up with decent tasting (though not that professional looking pineapple tarts) ;p The ones I made cannot be sold commercially or be given out as gifts, but I take heart that they are edible & quite yummy ;p

Pineapple tarts are considered a “festive cookie” and usually consumed during the Chinese New Year season. Pineapple is auspicious sounding to the Chinese so many people feel it’s lucky to eat them. I never believe that eating anything will enhance or affect your luck, but I just want to bake this for the experience heh ;p I won’t really be celebrating Lunar New Year this year, but for those who are, here’s wishing you a happy and ox-picious new year! ;p

Ingredients
(Recipe adapted from Kuali)

Pastry:
- 150g flour
- l/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 100g butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk

- 120g store bought pineapple paste
- 1 egg, beaten for glazing

You also need:

- pineapple tarts mold (I bought mine from Phoon Huat, Singapore – thanks to Small Small Baker for the info)

Directions
1. Sieve flour, corn flour, salt and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Cut butter to small pieces and rub into the flour, then add egg yolk to form a dough.

2. Dust the work area, rolling pin and pineapple tart mold (edges) with flour.

3. To make open pineapple tarts – Roll pastry (with gentle, short strokes) into 0.5cm thickness and stamp out with a pineapple tart mold. Add one teaspoon of pineapple paste filling (roll to a ball). Glaze with egg if you want a golden crust.

*4. To make closed pineapple tarts – Roll pastry into 0.3cm thickness and about 6.5cm x 5cm. Add one teaspoon of filling and roll with your hands to close the pastry (roll to a ball). You can patch with more pastry skin if needed. Glaze with egg.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 10 to 15 minutes or till lightly brown. You may need to bake for about 5 minutes longer for the closed version.

*Note: I got tired of making the open versions so I experimented with the close version on my own. This may not be the ‘right’ way of making the closed version because I did not read up on how others do it, but it looked & tasted all right ;p

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Tagged as: flour, icing sugar, pineapple