Best-Ever Pineapple Cookies (Pineapple Tarts)
Published Feb 02, 2015
Updated Dec 09, 2024
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Best-ever Pineapple Cookies or Pineapple Tarts - buttery, crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth pastry with pineapple filling, the best pineapple tarts ever.
Pineapple Cookies
Every year before Chinese New Year, I would bake trays and trays of pineapple tarts, a must-have Chinese New Year cookies in Malaysia, my home country.
Just like Turkey to Thanksgiving, no Chinese New Year is complete without pineapple tarts.
Called “Nastar” in local language, pineapple tarts are basically a cookie with a pineapple filling, in a buttery and crumbly pastry.
They are mostly referred as pineapple tarts in Malaysia and Singapore.
Some call them pineapple cakes (but they are not really cakes), pineapple shortcakes, pineapple cookies, or pineapple pastries. Regardless of its name, they are ABSOLUTELY delicious and the most AMAZING cookie ever.
The filling is from fresh and juicy pineapple, which is cooked and reduced to a golden-color pineapple jam filling. No words can describe just how awesome they taste, and I can’t think of any, ANY, cookies that would top this.
Simple as that.
Now, I am not being biased as I have served these pineapple cookies to many friends from all over the world – Americans, Europeans, Persians, Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Mexicans, Vietnamese, Indians, and everyone would agree that these dainty and beautiful cookies are basically out of this world.
Many came back to me and ask for more.
So, if you wanted to know what the best tasting cookies in the world taste like and introduce your culinary palate to something new, make these pineapple cookies. They will take some time, but you won’t regret it.
I GUARANTEE you!
Over the years, I have tried many recipes, and they all become my favorites.
This year, I tried a new recipe from an amazing Malaysian food blogger Sonia (you can follow her on Instagram) at Nasi Lemak Lover, and I have to say that this recipe is currently my favorite recipe at the moment and Sonia is happy to share her recipe with Rasa Malaysia readers.
The pastry is made of four basic ingredients: flour, butter, egg yolk, and condensed milk.
This recipe yields utterly scrumptious and perfect pastry—super buttery, crumbly and addictive pineapple cookies that won’t stick to your mouth and teeth…they are just unbelievably good!!
Ingredients
Ingredients For Pineapple Cookies
- All purpose flour
- Butter
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Egg yolk
Ingredients For Egg Wash
- Egg yolk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Cooking oil
Ingredients For Pineapple Cookies Filling
- Pineapple
- Cloves
- Sugar
- Lemon juice
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cut the stalk off the pineapple and follow by the skin. Make sure all divits are removed. Slice the pineapple flesh into pieces and blend in a blender until they become puree. Add the pineapple puree and cloves to a non-stick pot and cook on medium heat, constantly stirring to avoid burning.
Step 2: When the pineapple is almost dry, add the sugar and lemon juice, stir to combine well. Lower the heat to simmer and continue to stir until the pineapple filling turns golden in color and becomes very sticky. Transfer the pineapple filling out, remove the cloves and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Cream the butter and condensed milk until light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolk one at a time, and beat until well combined. Mix in the flour slowly to form the pastry dough. The dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hands.
Step 4: Prepare the egg wash by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Step 5: Divide the pineapple filling and dough into 100 portions. Roll them both into balls. To wrap, use your palms to roll each dough and then flatten it.
Step 6: Add a pineapple ball in the middle and fold the edges of the dough up to cover the filling.
Step 7: Finish it off by rolling it into a round ball.
Step 8: Place the pineapple cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the back of a paring knife, cut the criss-cross shape on the cookie, and brush the top of the cookie with the egg wash, twice. Repeat the same until all ingredients are used up.
Step 9: Bake in a preheated oven at 330°F (165°C) for about 20-22 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Transfer them out and cool on a wire crack before storing in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 441 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Other amazing pineapple tarts recipes can be found here on Rasa Malaysia.
Happy baking!
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Best-Ever Pineapple Cookies (Pineapple Tarts) Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (350 g) butter , or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 oz (100g) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 18 oz. (510g) all-purpose flour , or plain flour
Pineapple Filling:
- 16 lbs (7 kg) whole pineapples , 2 whole / 3 1/2 kg or 5 lbs. (2 1/2 kg pineapple flesh)
- 1/2 tablespoon cloves, optional
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups sugar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Egg Wash:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon condensed milk
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Cut the stalk off the pineapple and follow by the skin. Make sure all divits are removed. Slice the pineapple flesh into pieces and blend in a blender until they become puree. Add the pineapple puree and cloves to a non-stick pot and cook on medium heat, constantly stirring to avoid burning.
- When the pineapple is almost dry, add the sugar and lemon juice, stir to combine well. Lower the heat to simmer and continue to stir until the pineapple filling turns golden in color and becomes very sticky. Transfer the pineapple filling out, remove the cloves and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Cream the butter and condensed milk until light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolk one at a time, and beat until well combined. Mix in the flour slowly to form the pastry dough. The dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hands.
- Prepare the egg wash by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Divide the pineapple filling and dough into 100 portions. Roll them both into balls. To wrap, use your palms to roll each dough and then flatten it.
- Add a pineapple ball in the middle and fold the edges of the dough up to cover the filling.
- Finish it off by rolling it into a round ball.
- Place the pineapple cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the back of a paring knife, cut the criss-cross shape on the cookie, and brush the top of the cookie with the egg wash, twice. Repeat the same until all ingredients are used up.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 330°F (165°C) for about 20-22 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Transfer them out and cool on a wire crack before storing in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- The pineapples filling is good for two batches of pineapple tarts.
- You can keep the pineapple filling in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Im gonna try this for coming deepavali festival. Btw, hw many cookies i cn get frm this receipe? Thanks
Uma
Made some of these for my classmates because I was doing a report on Malaysian culture… and everyone wanted me to bring in more. Thanks for sharing this. Now if you excuse me, back to the kitchen I go.
Hi Nikolas, thanks for trying my pineapple cookies recipe. :)
Hi there, whenever I tried to cover my pineapple filling with the dough, the dough would break up and it would leave holes in my tart. Is it because that I must chill the dough in the fridge? If yes, for how long?
Thanks.
Add a little bit more butter to the dough.
Hi, the nastar recipe uses corn flour also in the cookies recipe. how is the final product different using corn flour?
Thanks.
More crumbly and melt in the mouth.
HI, the nastar recipe uses corn flour also. how is the final product different?
thanks.
Hi Rasa Malaysia!
I loved this recipe so much that I wanted to make some for mom’s birthday but she lives in a different city from me across Canada. I know it’s a huge risk to send these crumbly tarts overnight in the mail, but they’re so good, I wish I could share them with her. Do you know if the baked pineapple tarts can be frozen and thawed after and still taste ok? I wonder if it’s similar to shipping a pie, where you’d need to freeze it and then package it for delivery.
Many thanks!
I am not sure as I haven’t tried them. Why don’t you try and thaw and see if they still taste good before you sending?
Hi Vicky,
I made these tarts and kept them in airtight plastic jars. It stayed ‘fresh’ over a week.
And right now i am in Singapore, hot and humid and they can still stay fresh. Just be sure to keep them airtight when you mail them and the jars are sturdy to prevent crumbling if knocked or bumped into.
good luck
Steve
I just made these tonight and they turned out great! Not as good looking as yours but they tasted good!
I couldn’t get the filling to roll up on its own (it was still runny and not as amber colored as your pictures), so it made rolling up the dough a little tricky. Do you think I should have just cooked the filling longer even after adding the sugar?? I’m pretty sure the puree was dry when I added the lemon juice/sugar.
Yes, cook a bit longer, you should be able to shape them into balls. If not, they are too runny. You can chill them in the fridge to make it dryer, too.
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. It says here that the pineapple filling is good for 2 batches? So it means that I need to divide the ingredients of the pineapple filling when I make a batch of this? Thanks for your reply!
Does the dough keep well in the fridge for a week? I only used half because silly me only prepared enough filling for half the quantity. Thank you.
Yes.
Hi, my pineapple jam came out really hard after i refrigerated it. It’s almost sharp and rock hard. Any advice? ):
Thaw it to room temperature and it will be soft again.
I did, and it’s still very hard and sharp. I tried baking with it, tastes and feels alright when hot, but after it cools, it’s hard again. Thanks for the prompt reply!
I did just that but it doesn’t seem to be helping. I tried baking with the jam and the jam is soft and tastes alright when hot but once it cools, it hardens again. Did I perhaps overcook the jam? But it’s a little bit lighter than yours in terms of colour. Thanks for the prompt reply!
Maybe overcook and too dry.
Yea, maybe. ): Any tips when cooking the jam?