With the lunar new year coming up, many bloggers have been busy making new year treats. I don’t usually bake for special occasions (other than birthdays) because they usually fall within some sort of busy period where I just can’t find enough time to bake something and blog about it in time. Thinking I was going to have to miss out on yet another occasion, I resorted to reading about other people’s blogs (erm..whilst supposedly studying..hehe), as I usually do anyway, until I came across pineapple cookies/tarts on almost everyone’s blogs- which reminded me, that I had actually made them a while ago!!
I’m guessing that these cookies are a Malaysian thing because when I asked my parents about them, they had no idea what they were talking about. To them these are more similar to the chinese pineapple cookies they buy from asian supermarkets (I don’t know if they’re the same thing???)
When I got back to Australia, I made them again- to take photos (so I could blog about them) and, more importantly because we all wanted to eat them again! Unfortunately, they didn’t turn out as good as the first time but still tasted great! me and my sister had a fun time rolling these into balls- whilst my mum had….errrr fun cleaning the burnt bits left on the saucepan after I cooked the pineapples. Oops.
Nastar (Pineapple cookies)
1 can (440 gr) crushed pineapple, DO NOT drain
150 gr sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1. Dump everything into a medium saucepan. Cook until caramelised, mashing the pineapple gently.
2. Transfer into a bowl and cool. Shape into small balls and place on a baking paper-lined baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until needed.
For the cookies:
125 gr butter, chopped, cold
25 gr powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
150 gr plain flour
25 gr cornstarch
1. Mix butter and powdered sugar on medium speed. Do not overmix – we don’t want to incorporate too much air.
2. Add yolk and mix well. Sift together flour and cornstarch. Mix on low until combined.
3. Take 10 gr of dough and flatten it. Place one pinapple ball on the center and enclose with the dough. Place on a lined baking tray – cover with plastic wrap if necessary, to prevent the cookies drying out. Repeat until dough is used up. Do NOT brush them with egg wash (recipe follows) prior to baking.
4. Bake in preheated 180 C oven for 10 minutes. Take out and brush with the egg wash. Return to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tops are nicely browned.
Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
1 tsp honey
1. Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Make sure the honey is dissolved well and the mixture is no longer lumpy.
8 Comments
Not you too! Everyone is making pineapple yummies! They look great =)
February 12, 2010 at 4:29 AMPineapple tarts have certain magic to attract people. Love these little treats.
February 12, 2010 at 11:53 AMHappy New Year!
holy smokes, i would LOVE these! why should pineapple be limited to upside cakes and pina coladas? the juicy fruit isn't used nearly enough, and i think these cookies look perfect. nicely done, von!
February 13, 2010 at 11:32 AMi haven't had a pineapple tart in ages and i have to say that yours look lovely – they look store bought!!
February 14, 2010 at 3:05 AMOh my gosh, these sounds delicious. I love the sound of caramelised pineapple wrapped around a rich, butter dough. YUMMO! Thanks for sharing.
February 14, 2010 at 7:40 AMMmmm, butter 🙂 I didn't know pineapple cookies were a typical thing this time of year…but pineapple is always good in my book!
And yes, I got a new camera, and I love it. It's a D60 and I no longer have to wrestle with a camera to get good lighting ^_^
February 14, 2010 at 4:19 PMThese cookies look delicious! Ive never heard of these before, but I will keep these in mind next time I feel like baking 🙂
Rose
February 15, 2010 at 1:50 AMMmmm….my all time favourite. Looks very delicious. I made the pineapple jam but didn't manage to make the pineapple cookies. But a friend gave me some….mmm… delicious. So sweet of her!
February 16, 2010 at 10:41 AM