Pineapple Tarts (2013)

Chinese New Year is just around the corner again! My daughters are so excited over it, because their mummy is going to bake them pineapple tarts again.

I've been baking this Chinese New Year's must-have using the same recipe in the past few years. This year, I tried a different recipe and it yielded equally good result.

I used ready-made pineapple filling. The pastry recipe is from Thelittleteochew but as I only have a short window time frame in the night to do the baking, I halved the recipe as follows which yield one tray of little balls (about 40):

Pineapple Tarts

Ingredients:

• 200g plain flour
• 25g corn flour
• a pinch (original 1/4 tsp) of salt
• 140g cold, unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
• 1.5 egg yolks, beaten (I scoop out a spoonful from the beaten 2 yolks, and reserve for egg wash)
• 1.5 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp icing sugar (reduced from 3 tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• For egg wash - the half beaten egg yolk + half tbsp water
• Pineapple fillings - rolled into small balls (slightly smaller than a marble)

Methods:

1. Sift flours, icing sugar and salt. Mix well to combine.
2. Beat the egg yolks, add in cold water and vanilla extra. Mix Well.
3. Add the butter cubes into the flour. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it look like fine bread crumbs.
4. Add the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture.Using your fingers again, gently mix the liquid into the flour and gather them into a loose dough ball. Leave it in a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge, pinch a teaspoonful dough and roll it into small ball with your palms. Flatten it and place a small ball of pineapple filling in the centre. Wrap and roll into a ball so that the filling is hidden inside.
6. Insert a clove into the centre to dress it up like a small mandarin orange. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.
7. Apply some egg wash over each of the balls. Bake in pre-heated oven at 160 degree C for 18-20 minutes or until the balls turned golden yellow.
8. Remove and let them cool completely before storing them in air-tight container.