Pineapple Tarts

4.52 from 137 votes
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Pineapple tarts are a must for Chinese New Year. This is an easy and the best pineapple tarts recipe ever. Makes 30 crumbly and buttery pineapple tarts.

Pineapple tarts.
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The Best Pineapple Tarts Recipe

Chinese New Year is one of the biggest festivities in Malaysia.

Pineapple tarts are a must-bake for the celebration of Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Singapore.

In Taiwan, pineapple shortcakes (凤梨酥) are popular but Taiwanese pineapple tarts recipe calls for shortening and milk powder.

They taste slightly different but equally delicious.

My absolute favorite is Malaysian pineapple tarts. They are so tasty, addictive, buttery and melt-in-the-mouth.

I have a few favorite recipes, but I always come back to this recipe that I have learned from Fresh from the Oven.

Pineapple tarts for lunar new year.

How To Make Pineapple Tarts

Easy recipe of pineapple tarts.

This pineapple tarts recipe is easy, absolutely delicious and definitely a keeper!

The recipe yields buttery, sweet, flaky cookies with beautiful pineapple shape.

However, it takes 2-3 hours to make as everything is made from scratch.

First, you need to make pineapple jam or pineapple tarts filling.

It will take a few hours to reduce the filling to a thick and sticky consistency.

The dough is easy to make and you can shape it into different shapes, for example: open-faced pineapple tarts with the filling on the outside.

You can also make them into pineapple rolls.


Baking Tips

Cookie with a pineapple filling, in a buttery and crumbly pastry.
  • Use a good quality butter. I use Challenge brand unsalted butter.
  • For the best results, please use fresh pineapples as the ingredient for the pineapple jam filling.
  • Canned sliced pineapples in syrup is a good substitute and deliver satisfying results.
  • If the dough is too dry and hard to work with, please add a little bit more butter to the dough.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store pineapple tarts?

Place them in an airtight glass or plastic containers at room temperature. You can store them in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.

Can I freeze them in the refrigerator?

No, I don’t recommend freezing in the refrigerator.
You can make pineapple jam filling in advance and freeze in the refrigerator for up to a week.
When you are ready to bake, just thaw the pineapple jam to room temperature and use it as the filling.

How many calories per serving?

This recipe makes 30 pineapple tarts and each tart is 137 calories.

Pineapple tarts, ready to serve.

Other Chinese New Year Baking Recipes

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4.52 from 137 votes

Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tarts are a must for Chinese New Year. This is an easy and the best pineapple tarts recipe ever. Makes 30 crumbly and buttery pineapple tarts.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 30 tarts
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Ingredients  

Pastry

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar , or icing sugar or powdered sugar
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten for egg wash
  • 1/2 tbsp condensed milk

Pineapple Jam (Filling)

  • 30 oz (850g) sliced pineapples
  • 10 tablespoons sugar, more or less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cloves, optional

Instructions 

  • If you are using canned pineapple slices, drain them and squeeze out any excess water or juice with your hands. Blend the canned pineapples until they are mushy, about 10 seconds. If you are using fresh pineapples, remove the skin, cut them into pieces, and blend for 10 seconds.
  • Transfer the blended pineapple to a deep non-stick pan. Add sugar and cloves, then stir well. Cook over medium to low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple jam turns golden in color. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. Taste and adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar if needed. Remove and discard the cloves, then let the jam cool in the fridge.
    Pineapple jam for pineapple tarts.
  • Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar into a large bowl or container. Soften the butter to room temperature. Combine the flour mixture, butter, and egg yolks, then knead to form a dough. The dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hands. If the dough is too crumbly or dry, add a little more butter (about 1 tablespoon) until it becomes easy to work with.
  • Divide the dough and pineapple jam (filling) into 30 equal portions each. Flatten the pastry dough with your palms, place the pineapple filling in the center, and use the dough to cover the filling. Roll it up with your palms to form a shape about 1 1/2 inches (3.5 cm) long.
    Pineapple tarts before baking in the oven.
  • Use a small paring knife to create criss-cross patterns on the tart, then brush it with egg wash using a small pastry brush. Place the pineapple tarts on a tray lined with parchment paper, ensuring they are arranged at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart from each other.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tarts are light brown.
    Pineapple tarts

Video

Notes

For the egg wash, you can just use the egg yolk. However, adding condensed milk to the egg wash will make the surface of the pineapple tarts look more glossy and golden, a trick that I learned from my friend at Indochine Kitchen.
If you run into problems with the pastry dough being too dry and very hard to work with, add more room-temperature (softened) butter into your dough and knead the dough again until it’s not sticking to your hands.

Nutrition

Serving: 30tarts, Calories: 137kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 22mg, Potassium: 51mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 229IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





140 Comments

  1. BEA says:

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness!!! I’ve found my addiction…yes, I can’t stop eating these. They’re so delicious anytime day or night. The dough is really a plus. I don’t fill them as much because I like the dough to filling ratio. Thanks for a phenomenal recipe. I’m so happy I tried it..now every time I go to the fruit section I’m checking the pineapples for these pastries. My friends & family love them too..I added cinnamon with just a touch of cloves.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome!??

  2. LW says:

    Hi should I use canned pineapple in with no sugar added in its own juice, or in heavy syrup? Thanks!!

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Either is fine.

  3. Anne says:

    Is there anyway I can make these tarts and store them longer?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Yes you can store for a few weeks in air tight containers.

  4. starry says:

    Hi Bee
    I’m trying to decide between your two pineapple tart recipes, this one and the 2015 Best-Ever Pineapple Cookies recipe. How would you describe the difference in taste or texture? Would you consider this one better than the formerly best ever?
    Thank you so much for these recipes!!

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Both are good, you can make two batches and decide.

    2. Analiza generalao says:

      Hi, your pineapple tarts are amazing. My family loves it. May i also use the crust for other fillings like caramel tarts, but the recipe is saying that i have to pre bake it. Do i really have to or i can bake it together with the filling. I love your crust because it does not get soggy it remains crunchy. Tnx and looking forward for your recipes?

  5. Phyl says:

    Thank you for the recipe. It was a big hit in my family. We re going to make a second batch soon.

  6. K.chaney says:

    Is there any time range for cooking the pineapple? 15 minutes? 1 hour?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Cook until the pineapple paste forms, about 30 mins to one hour.

  7. Penn says:

    This is so wonderful, I tried doing today, nice
    Thanks Bee ❤️

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      ??

  8. Priya says:

    Hi, thank you for your wonderful recipe. These were a big hit at home.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      ?

  9. Bryan Yee says:

    How do you make the pastry dough turn out a little less flaky?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Well, that’s the purpose, to be flaky.

  10. Bryan Yee says:

    For the different parts (the egg wash, the pineapple jam, the dough), can all of these be made the night before and then stored in the fridge to save time for the next day?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes, you can make all in advance and keep in the fridge.

      1. Bryan Yee says:

        I made the dough but it was too crumbly and pretty yellow. What did I do wrong?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          I am not sure, but maybe your butter.

          1. Ileana says:

            Just made them this afternoon but instead of two sticks of butter, I only used one and added 1/2 cup of Crisco shortening. I also added 1 tsp of almond extract to the dough They were delicious! Even better than the ones I had in Singapore years ago.

            1. Bee Yinn Low says:

              Awesome!

      2. Cam Badua says:

        I made this today and I must say the pastry dough is sooooo gooood ???. Thank you for sharing the recipe even if I’m here in the PH I won’t miss the pineapple tart that I loved back in Malaysia ?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Amazing!?