Pineapple Tarts 黄梨酥

Hi

It has been quite awhile since my last post for Christmas as I have been so busy after that.  

Every year, around this period, I’m so ready for all things to welcome Chinese New Year.  I have started to get organised since January by listing down things that I need for spring cleaning. 

 I would survey the house by looking around the rooms, closet, desk, storage cabinet, etc and take inventory on what need to be cleaned, de-cluttered and also what are those stuff that need to get rid.    This is also a time that I would check and replace the beddings, upholstery, furniture, etc.  I would also schedule some dates and assign everyone in family a task to a job as I think I should not be doing all these alone. 

Look! Look! Look at my balcony.  Finally, I had made a point to do something to it.  I had beautified the corner by adding some plants and displays to it.  Now it has become a little home garden of mine and I could really feel that Spring is coming! J

Ok ok ok…  Pardon me.  I know I’m supposed to share what I have been baking lately and not about my spring cleaning.  But I really couldn’t bear not to share what I had done to my balcony for this year’s spring cleaning :P

Ok!  How about this? J

Can you tell they are pineapples and not porcupines?  When my good friend commented these porcupines are cute and my response was “huh! What? Porcupines?” :D

I must say that Chinese New Year is incomplete without pineapples cookie.  It is a festive cookie that all families wouldn’t want to miss it.  Pineapple cookie has become a must for all families and also one of the gift items for Chinese New Year.  For this reason, I’m making it and guess it will become one of a "must bake" cookie for CNY.

This year, instead of doing the usual Taiwan style of pineapple cookie, I decided to try this new recipe from Butter, Flour & Me.  Apparently, my family and relatives prefer this to the one I made for last year.

INGREDIENTS

(translated)

125g       Unsalted Butter

50g         Icing Sugar

25g         Egg Yolk

½ tbsp     Condensed Milk

220g       Plain flour

35g         Egg Yolk Powder (I used Pillsbury Custard Powder)

2 tbsp      Milk Powder (I used Anlene)

Pineapple fillings

I’m using the same recipe, which I learnt from a home based baking teacher last year.  My friends and I made the fillings about 1 month ahead and store in an air-tight container in room temperature.  For enclosed tarts, the pineapple jam has to be completely dry and sticky.  This is the reason we are making it ahead and left in room temperature for few weeks before used.

METHOD

1.Preheat the oven at 170°C and line the tray with baking paper.

2.Beat butter and icing sugar together until the colour turn pale.

3.Add egg yolks and follow by condense milk.  Mix well.

4.Sift flour together with milk powder and custard powered into the butter mixture.

6.Roll dough into a ball of 12g and roll pineapple into a ball of 10g.  Flatten the dough and wrap it with pineapple fillings. 

7.Roll the dough with pineapple filling to slightly oval shape.  Use this type of scissor to cut the surface of the dough in layer of sharp edges.

Wishing all of you happy baking for Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015 hosted by 3 of my favourites bloggers - Yen of Eat Your Heart Out, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

I’m also submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone Jan & Feb 2015Event.  Theme: My Homemade Cookies organised by Fion of XuanHom’s Mom and co-hosted by Victoria Bakes