Pineapple Tart Cookies

5 from 3 votes

A traditional recipe of homemade pineapple tart cookies or tart nenas (in Malaysia). These soft milky cookies are filled with homemade sweet pineapple jam.

Prep Time40

Cook Time55

Servings: cookies

Author: Bea & Marco

Ingredients

2.2 lb pineapple chunks (1 kg), not too ripe, peel and remove the core
½ cup granulated sugar (100 gr)
1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour (210 gr)
¼ cup instant custard flour mix or powder (30 gr)
½ cup unsalted butter (120 gr), room temperature
3 tablespoon icing sugar (25 gr)
2 tablespoon powdered milk
1 large egg yolk , room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

The pineapple jam

Using a blender, put in pineapple chunks and blend for just 3-4 seconds so that we won't end up with such a fine paste. Work with a few chunks at a time.
Pour the blended pineapple into a pot. Add in sugar and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Stir now and then. When the jam gets thicker, stir frequently to avoid it getting burnt. Leave to cool completely.
Once cooled, make more or less 1 inch thumb sized logs and place them on a plate. Cover with cling film to prevent them getting dry. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. Preparing them in advance is going to make it easier when we're rolling the cookies later.

The cookies

In a bowl sift together flour, custard powder and set aside.
In another bowl, add in butter, icing sugar and mix just until well combined. Add in powdered milk and mix. Add in egg yolk, vanilla extract and mix again just until well combined. Lower the speed and add in the flour bit by bit, mixing just until well combined each time. Form into a ball, cover with cling film to prevent it from getting dry when not using.
Generously flour on the work surface. Work with ⅓ dough at a time. Form into a disk, flour the rolling pin as the dough is a bit soft and sticky. Roll into 5 mm thickness.Note: If the dough is too soft, place it in the fridge for 5 minutes. Not too long as it gets harder it will break when we roll it later
If you're using the dough presser, put some dough in it and start pressing as per your presser's instructions. I'm doing it the old method. Flour the line rolling pin and gently roll it on the dough, making lines on it. Cut into 2.5x1 inch stripes. Carefully take one stripe and flip it on a rigid yet flexible plastic. Place one jam log at one end and start rolling it with the dough. Cut excess dough if any.See the video better understanding.
Place them on a baking tray with baking sheet. Gently brush with egg yolk. Bake at 175ºC (345ºF) preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until bottom edges are golden brown and they're fully cooked. Cool completely on a rack.

Notes

Ripe or overripe pineapples contain lots of liquid, that's why we don't want to use those as it will take longer to make the jam thick.
You kind of need to work a bit fast with the dough as it tends to get dry sitting around for a long time (even covered with cling film).
Using a dough presser would be a less hassle if you're not used to this method.

Nutrition