Pineapple cookies, also know as the Indonesian Nastar cookies. My mom likes to call these pineapple bursts. I like to call them pineapple melts because when you take them out of the oven and pop the little golden cookie in your mouth it is so buttery and flakey it practically melts into your mouth, then you get the bursts of fresh, tropical pineapple filling (which I guess is what my mom was thinking about). Anyways, no matter what you call them they are truly delicious, probably my all time favorite cookie yet! I hope you can try them out and they bring you lots of joy!
↑ assembly pictures
Ingredients (makes 50 cookies)
for the sweetened condensed milk*
136 ml milk (I used almond)
3 Tbs sugar
for the pineapple filling*
One Pineapple
1/4 tsp cloves*
Sugar to taste (I used about 125g)
1 tsp lemon juice
for the pastry
175g softened vegan butter
sweetened condensed milk from above
250g flour
1 tsp cornstarch
milk for brushing
*If you have vegan sweetened condensed milk you can go ahead and skip this bit and just use 68g of it.
*The filling recipe makes enough for 2 batches of dough (meaning you will have leftover filling so you can either split the filling recipe in half, have extra and use it as jam or in this vegan pineapple ice cream recipe or make two batches of dough!)
* the cloves are optional, but, I HIGHLY, highly, highly, recommend it! In the end you can't really identify the clove flavor but you know something is there because the overall cookie flavor is so rounded and marvelous. Also it makes cooking the pineapple filling even more enjoyable because it smells like a super amazing candle scent!
Instructions
1. For the sweetened condensed milk; In a small sauce pan combine the milk and sugar, heat on medium low and whisking/stirring often, bring to a simmer. Continue to cook at a simmer until the mix has reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Then remove from heat, transfer into a small container or jar and let it cool to room temp before transferring it to the fridge. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week.
2. For the Pineapple filling; Cut up the pineapple and blend it until smooth. Dump your pureed pineapple and cloves into a medium or large saucepan. Cook at medium heat, constantly stirring to avoid burning. Once most of the liquid is gone, add the sugar and lemon juice. Cook for a bit longer on lower heat until the pineapple mixture turns golden in color and is thick and sticky. Transfer to a bowl and cool at room temp, then let it sit in the fridge.
3. For the Pastry; Mix together the flour and cornstarch, cream the butter until light in color, add in 1/3 of the flour mix, beat until barely combined and then add in 1/2 of the condensed milk, beat until barely combined. Add 1/3 of the flour, beat, add the 1/2 of condensed milk, beat, and then end with the final 1/3 of flour.
4. To assemble; Preheat oven to 330ºF, line two baking trays. Divide the dough into 50 pieces, to do this I like to use a scale and have each dough ball weigh 10g. Flatten the dough in the palm of your hand and place a portion of the pineapple filling in the center. Wrap the dough around the filling and place on a lined baking tray. Repeat until all dough balls are used up, use the back of a knife to indent a criss cross pineapple pattern on the tops of the cookies. Brush with milk and bake for 20-22 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Allow them to cool on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight container.
Sweetened condensed milk recipe inspired by Add a Pinch
Pineapple cookies inspired by Rasa Malaysia
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