Best-Ever Pineapple Cookies (Pineapple Tarts)
Published Feb 02, 2015
Updated Sep 11, 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.
Hello, do you know if i can make the filling in a slowcooker? If so, how long should i cook it? High for 4 hours, maybe?
Thanks!
Slow cooker won’t work. You need to make the filling dry.
Can I make it in the Instant Pot?
Thanks!
No.
Hello, do you know if i can make the pineapple filling in a slowcooker? Any idea how long i should put it in the slow cooker? High for 4 hours, maybe? Thanks!
HI bee sounds like a beautiful recipe. I’d like to make them in the open shaped pineapple tart form (round base with a little ball of pineapple jam. Would this pastry be suitable for this?
Yes. I am not a big fan of open-face pineapple tarts because it dries out the filling when baking.
May I know the weight for the pineapple filling and dough to make a piece of pineapple tart? Wanted to make sure that the proportion is right and balance. Thanks
10g dough 8g filling.
This information should have been on the recipe card for ease of reference instead of having to scroll down to the comments in search of an answer
Definitely agree this detail would be extremely useful on the recipe card. It’s a little confusing when the recipe says to portion out 100 each of dough and filling, then at the bottom of the instructions it notes the recipe makes double amount of filling.
Hi! I am new to baking and tried baking pineapple tarts for the first time using your recipe and it turned out fabulous! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! Definitely going to bake more next week.
That’s awesome, I am so happy that you had great success with these pineapple tarts. :)
Thanks for this recipe
Planning to bake and distribute to my family this cny
Wanted to make 150 pieces
Can advise on the portion of ingredients to yield this amount? Thanks
My recipe yields 100.
Hi there, meaning 12 servings yields 100 of pineapple tarts? Thank you!
Yes.
Hello! May I know how long does the baked pineapple tarts last?
Thanks!
A couple of weeks.
Hi,
I bought ready-mixed pineapple filling. After baking, i found out the filling is a bit too tight and hard. How can i make it soft? Can i reduce the baking time?
Your pineapple filling is overcooked. It shouldn’t be hard.
Can I use gluten-free all purpose flour for the dough? Thanks
I am not sure as I haven’t tried myself.
Hi I made these. They are wonderful! I added a pinch of salt to the filling. Do you think I could make these with Kaya instead? My Malaysian boyfriend loves Kaya, but not as familiar with it. Not sure it had the body to roll into a ball easily to be enveloped into the dough.
Probably won’t work as kaya has too much liquid in it unless you make your kaya very very thick but still it won’t work as you can roll it into a ball for wrapping.