Despite that I have already found several outstandingly GOOD pineapple tarts recipes at:
1) My Best Ultimate Melt-in-your-mouth Nastar Pineapple Tarts at here
2) My Best Melt-in-your-mouth Open Faced Pineapple Tarts at here or from the book, Bake and Celebrate published by Marshall Cavendish. Bake and Celebrate
3) Ultimate Melt-in-the-mouth Malay style Enclosed and Nastar Pineapple Tart recipe at here
4) Ultimate Melt-in-the-mouth Salted Egg Yolk Enclosed Pineapple Tarts at here
... I never stop looking for more!!! Told ya. I am a pineapple tarts fanatic!!! LOL!
Here, I'm sharing another two outstandingly GOOD melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts recipes. One is for baking the enclosed tarts and another one is for baking the open faced tarts. Wanna know more?
Yes!!!
I have found another melt-in-my-mouth enclosed pineapple tarts recipe.
Why am I baking with SO MANY melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts recipes?
Simply because what is considered melt-in-the-mouth to me might not be melt-in-the-mouth to you! Vice versa? LOL!
Some readers told me that my best melt-in-the-mouth open faced pineapple tarts at here are NOT melt-in-the-mouth enough for them whereas some told me that my ultimate melt-in-the-mouth malay style enclosed pineapple tart recipe at here are TOO melty for them to handle! Gosh! I'm so confused!!! Are you? LOL!!!
And I know... Some readers asked me if they can use salted egg yolk powder instead of the real salted egg yolk to bake my ultimate melt-in-the-mouth salted egg yolk enclosed pineapple tarts recipe at here. Yes, they can but their salted egg powder pineapple tarts will NOT be ultimately melty like mine because many salted egg powder products contain additives and stabilisers such as maltodextrin (a sugar additive), shortening powder, milk proteins, wheat proteins and even yeast extract wheres the salted egg yolks that I used are simply 100% salted egg yolks!!! Clearly, all additives from the powder are unnecessary as the salted egg powder pastry will taste less with salted egg yolks and also very less melty!!!
Hmmm....
Based on all these years of pineapple tarts baking and sharing, I have learned that...
1) Many people see and taste the definition of "melt-in-the-mouth" very different!!! I know... This is perfectly normal! And I'm not whinging about it. Some people prefer pineapple tarts that are more melty whereas some prefer tarts that are easy to bake and handle and this is really up to each individual preferences. To be honest, I don't have a solution for this... You just have to try different recipes (preferably with no alteration and no agak agak if you are using my recipes) and see if you like it!
2) more butter and less flour ingredients doesn't mean that the pastry will taste more buttery with more melty texture. I know it sounds bizarre but it's really true based on what I have observed at here.
3) the amount of egg yolks (not whole egg), the flour protein content and the flour:cornflour ratio play an important role to make the pastry extra melty too!
Meaning... Less egg yolk will make the pastry less firm more melty. Less sugar will make the pastry less crispy more melty but not too less because the pastry won't taste good without any sugar. However, too less flour protein, sugar and egg yolk will make the pastry less stable to handle after baking and too much egg yolk will make the dough too soft to roll and cut into shapes. Wah!!! You must be thinking... Why is this so complicated??? This is why I tell you to stick to my recipes because I have already optimised all these factors for you!!!
Here, I have created another melt-in-the-mouth enclosed and open faced pineapple tarts recipes which are spin-offs from my best ultimate melt-in-the-mouth nastar pineapple tarts at here.
Although my original nastar recipe is my PERFECT recipe at here can bake the BEST melt-in-the-mouth sturdy nastar pineapple tarts with no worries, it hasn't been not perfect enough to bake enclosed and open faced tarts.
So this is what I did...
For the enclosed pineapple tarts: I have increased flour from 250g to 260g and cornflour from 50g to 60g so that the unbaked dough is not too soft and just pliable enough for me to wrap the pineapple jam filling and the baked pastry will be sturdy enough for handling and stacking.
For the open faced pineapple tarts: I have increased flour from 250g to 260g and reduced egg yolk from 25g to 20g so that unbaked dough is slightly firmer for me to use a rolling pin to roll and the baked pastry is strong enough to hold 10g pineapple jam on each tart.
And YAY!!! Using these recipes, I have managed to bake very lovely melt-in-my-mouth enclosed and open faced pineapple tarts... but I must say that these recipes are slightly more challenging to bake than my others.
So please READ THESE before you choose to use these recipes.
Unlike my ultimate melt-in-the-mouth Malay style enclosed pineapple tarts recipe at here, these melt-in-the-mouth enclosed pineapple tarts:
- are less delicate and crumbly and has no subtle cake-like texture. Yet, they do taste very melty with a subtle biscuity crisp. See... I told you. Different definition of melt-in-the-mouth!!! LOL!!! Yay!
- are made with pastry dough with more flour content, causing the dough to be less pliable and more challenging to enclose the pineapple jam. *sad*
- are easy to handle. Yes... There won't be crumbs that stick to your fingers when you pick them but the tarts will still melt in your mouth! Yay!!!
- contain baking powder and so they will crack slightly during baking. And it's OK!!! These minor cracks will subside to almost unnoticeable when the pineapple tarts are cooled completely. Well, my son didn't notice the cracks when he was enjoying the yummy tarts. So I don't mind the cracks, do you? If you fuss about this crack issue, I suggest that you shouldn't use this recipe. To minimise the cracks, you can try to omit the addition of baking powder but the tarts without the baking powder won't be as melty as they should be. Not really yay or sad... LOL!
Unlike my best melt-in-your-mouth open faced pineapple tarts at here or from the book, Bake and Celebrate published by Marshall Cavendish. Bake and Celebrate, these melt-in-the-mouth open faced pineapple tarts:
- have lesser flour protein are obviously MORE delicious and MELTY!!! Yay!
- need to bake a little (2-3 minutes) more so that the pastries are firm and sturdy enough to hold 10g pineapple jam on each tart!!! Yay!
- contain slightly more egg yolks and more icing sugar to make the less-flour pastry firmer after baking and this will make the dough still a little too soft to roll with a rolling pin and even more difficult to decorate with a pincher. *sad* Hence, this pastry should be chilled for about 30 mins before rolling and if you find this dough still too challenging for you to handle, please use my best melt-in-your-mouth open faced pineapple tarts at here. It's 100% fail-proof and the pastry is melty too!!!
To summarise and conclude:
These recipes are really GOOD for make very delicious buttery melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts and they are sturdy enough for handling and stacking.
... but please be aware that the tarts can be challenging to roll and shape!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED but challenging! Yay or sad??? You decide!
Can you see the subtle cracks on these melt-in-the-mouth enclosed pineapple tarts?
If you don't mind the subtle cracks...
You will LOVE these sturdy melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts.
Personally, I believe that the slightly puffy pastry can make these tarts very very very yummy!!!
These are my next best melt-in-the-mouth open faced pineapple tarts!
They are MORE MELTY than my best melt-in-the-mouth open faced pineapple tarts
... but more challenging to roll and shape.
Yet, strong enough to hold 10g pineapple jam on each tart.
See...
These are made with my best melt-in-your-mouth open faced pineapple tarts recipe at here.
So pretty and flawless!
This is why this 100% fail proof recipe at here is always my best open faced pineapple tart recipe!
Wanna try these HIGHLY RECOMMENDED yet challenging melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts recipes? I have a video to show you how I baked the melt-in-the-mouth enclosed pineapple tarts but not the open faced tarts. Nevertheless, I will share both recipes near the end of this blog post.
If you like Chinese New Year baking, you might want to try these HIGHLY RECOMMENDED very popular recipes:
Best Sturdy Melt-in-your-mouth Open Faced Pineapple Tarts at here
My Best Ultimate Melt-in-your-mouth Nastar Pineapple Tarts at here
Ultimate Melt-in-the-mouth Malay Style Condensed Milk Enclosed or Nastar Pineapple Tarts at here
Ultimate Melt-in-the-mouth Salted Egg Yolk Pineapple Tarts 咸蛋黄凤梨酥 that are baked with Salted Egg Yolk Butter Pastry at here
Melt-in-your-mouth Parmesan Cheese Nastar Pineapple Tarts at here
Easy Fail Proof Strawberry Jam Butter Cookies at here
Parmesan Cheese Butter Cookies at here
4 Different Chinese Almond Cookies recipes at here
Ultimate Melt in the Mouth Chinese Cashew Cookies 腰果酥 at here
Melt in the Mouth Crispy Chinese Butter Cashew Cookies 香脆牛油腰果酥 at here
Melt-in-your-mouth Pork Floss Chinese Cookies at here
Melt-in-your-mouth Salted Egg Yolk Cookies at here
My favorite Kek Lapis recipe at here
Crispy Nestum Cereal Cookies at here
Extra Crispy Nestum loaded Cookies at here - extra crispy with twice amount of Nestum!
Want more of my recipes? To get the latest updates, you can follow me at either my Facebook at here or here or my Instagram @zoebakeforhappykids
And here are my melt-in-the-mouth sturdy pineapple tarts recipes.
For the enclosed pineapple tarts:
Please use the exact weight and make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature.
Makes about 50
For the pastry:
200g unsalted butter, very soften at room temperature
30g icing sugar, sifted
25g egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract - please do not use vanilla essence!
260g all-purpose / plain flour with 10% protein*
60g cornflour
1/4 tsp baking powder**
1/4 tsp salt
* Please do not use cake flour or all-purpose / plain flour that contains less than 10% protein. Using flour with less than 10% protein will make your pastry very unstable to handle after baking. If you use flour that has more than 10% protein, your pastry will not be melty enough.
** WARNING: The addition of baking powder will make the tarts crack during baking. And it's OK!!! These minor cracks will subside to almost unnoticeable when the pineapple tarts are cooled completely. If you fuss about this crack issue, I suggest that you shouldn't use this recipe. To minimise the cracks, you can try to omit the addition of baking powder but the tarts without the baking powder won't be as melty as they should be.
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
For the filling:
about 400g homemade pineapple jam filling, recipe and demonstrating video at here.
Preheat oven at 350ºF or 180ºC. Line baking trays with baking papers.
Using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and icing sugar until combined and creamy for about 1 min. Do not over-beat mixture. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.
Sift flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt into the butter mixture. Use a spoon or spatula to mix until all ingredients are combined. Then, use your hand to knead slightly until mixture forms a soft pliable dough.
To shape the enclosed pineapple tarts:
Roll pineapple filling (about 8g) and divided pastry dough (about 12g) into balls.
Flatten a piece of dough and place a piece of the roll pineapple filling in the middle. Bring the edges of the dough together and press lightly to seal. Roll it in between your palms to shape it into a ball. Decorate the pastry with a mini cookie cutter or a pincher if desired.
Arrange the tarts on the prepared trays. Use a fine brush to brush the top and the side of the pastry dough with a thin layer of egg wash. Bake for 15 mins or until light golden brown, swapping the trays around halfway through baking. Please note that the baking time and temperature may vary a little if you use make your pineapple tarts in different sizes.
Allow the tarts to cool slightly on the baking trays for about 10 mins and transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks depending on the type (with or without preservative, with full amount of sugar or sugar reduced) of pineapple jam that you used.
For the open faced pineapple tarts:
Makes about 50 medium
For the pastry:
260g all-purpose / plain flour with 10% protein*
50g cornflour
30g icing sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
200g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
20g egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract - please do not use vanilla essence!
* Please do not use cake flour or all-purpose / plain flour that contains less than 10% protein. Using flour with less than 10% protein will make your pastry very unstable to handle after baking. If you use flour that has more than 10% protein, your pastry will not be melty enough.
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
For the filling:
about 500g homemade pineapple jam filling, recipe and demonstrating video at here.
extra all purpose / plain flour to dust if required
Preheat oven at 350ºF or 180ºC. Line baking trays with baking papers.
Sift flour, cornflour, icing sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Place butter into flour mixture. Use your fingertips to rub in butter into the flour until resembles bread crumbs.
Use a fork to beat egg yolk and vanilla paste lightly and add the yolk mixture into the flour mixture. Use your hands to gather all the crumbs and knead slightly until a dough is formed. Do not over knead the dough too much! Wrap dough in cling wrap and allow it to chill and rest in the fridge for about 30 mins or until firm enough to roll but not longer than 30 mins.
To shape the open faced pineapple tarts:
On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough into 0.5 cm thickness and cut them into shapes with preferred cookie cutter and decorated the edge with a pincher if desired. Arrange the cut pastry onto the prepared tray and use a fine brush to brush the edges lightly with egg wash.
Place about 10g (more or less according to the size of your tarts) pineapple jam to fill the center of each pastry. Bake for 12-15 mins or until sides are firm and light golden brown, swapping the trays around halfway through baking.
IMPORTANT: The pastry need to be thoroughly baked to FIRM so that they are sturdy enough to hold a good amount of pineapple jam. Plus, the baking time and temperature may vary a little if you use make your pineapple tarts in different sizes. Mine are baked at 180ºC for 15 mins.
Allow the tarts to cool slightly on the baking trays for about 10 mins and transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks depending on the type (with or without preservative, with full amount of sugar or sugar reduced) of pineapple jam that you used.
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