Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple Tarts is one of the highlight “Festive Cookie” of Chinese New Year and it is a must to consume during the Chinese New Year season that brings “旺来”, good luck to come! Typical shapes include a flat, open tart topped with pineapple jam under a lattice of pastry, rolls filled with jam that are open at the ends and jam-filled spheres or a close-up tart like here.

• 180g Plain flour
• 20g Corn flour
• 40g Icing sugar
• 1 Egg yolk (lightly beaten with 1 tbsp ice water, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract plus a drop of egg yellow coloring)
• 150g Cold butter
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 500g Pineapple Jam (store bought) ~ roll into a small ball about 8g each

1. In a large bowl, sift in plain flour, corn flour and icing sugar, mix well. Cut in butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Make a well in a center, pour in beaten egg yolk with water and vanilla extract and bind the ingredients to a soft dough. (do not over knead) Add a little extra flour if dough is too soft. Put dough in the fridge for 20-30 mins to firm up.
3. Remove pastry from fridge. Roll pastry between two plastic sheets to about 5mm thickness, cut into shape with a pineapple tart mold and place on the lined baking tray and bake for 10 mins in preheated oven at 175 deg C.
4. Remove tray from oven, fill the center of tart with pineapple jam. Cut small strips from from remaining dough to form a criss-cross pattern on top of the tarts.
5. Return tarts to oven and bake for another 10 mins or pastry until golden brown.
6. Cool tarts on wire rack and store in an airtight container.