Let’s kick off our Chinese New Year bakes with the crowd’s favourite: Taiwanese Pineapple tarts!
Watch on as Mavis Ong, nicknamed the “The Queen of Pineapple Tarts”, shows us how to make Taiwanese Pineapple tarts! Featuring buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry filled with delicious homemade pineapple jam, these treats are not to be missed! 
About Mavis Ong:
Initially only baking pineapple tarts from her home kitchen as gifts for family and friends during CNY season, she started fulfilling larger orders when her signature golden-pillow pineapple tarts won her the Pineapple Tart Queen award during the Great Pineapple Tart Bake-off organised by Kiss92FM in 2018.
Taiwanese Pineapple Tarts
Ingredients:
Pineapple Jam
1600 g pineapple, skin & core removed, cut in pieces
100g sugar, adjust according to sweetness of pineapple
20g brown sugar
40g maltose
5g – 10g lemon juice (optional)
PASTRY DOUGH
300g low protein flour (cake flour)
40g almond powder
40g milk powder
40g icing sugar
250g salted butter, cold, cut in cubes
1 tsp vanilla essence
50g beaten egg (1 egg yolk + whole egg) (see tips)
PREPARATION
PINEAPPLE JAM
1. Place pineapple pieces in mixing bowl, blend 5 sec/speed 5. Repeat the step again if necessary until it is well blended. Strain blended pineapple using Varoma dish.
2. Place the drained pineapple pulps back in mixing bowl, place Varoma set instead of measuring cup on mixing bowl lid and cook 30 min/120°C /speed 2.
3. Add sugar, brown sugar, maltose and lemon juice, continue to cook
40 min/Varoma/speed 2.
4. To dry up the pineapple jam, continue to cook 5-10 min/Varoma/speed 2 without measuring cup. Repeat this step if necessary until the desired texture is achieved.
5. Transfer into a bowl and let it cool before use. Divide the pineapple jam into 30 portions (approx. 15g each), and roll into ball shape.
Pastry Dough
6. Place low protein flour, almond powder, milk powder, icing sugar and salted butter in mixing bowl, blend Turbo/2 sec/1 time, then Turbo/1 sec/1 time.
7. Add vanilla essence and beaten egg, mix 12 sec/speed 3-6, increasing speed gradually. Transfer pastry dough into a bowl. Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for easy shaping.
8. Pre-heat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place 30 square pineapple moulds (4.8 cm × 3.6 cm × 1.7 cm) onto the prepared baking tray.
9. Divide the dough into 30 portions each, roll into ball shape then flatten the dough with your hands, and put one prepared pineapple ball on top. Use your thumbs to fold the dough over the fillings and gently wrap it completely. Place the wrapped dough into the prepared square mould, flatten the dough with your hands so that the dough is set in the mould. Repeat steps for remaining dough and pineapple tart fillings until finished. 10. Place the pineapple tarts together with the moulds in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes (170°C) on each side or until golden brown. Total baking time is about 20-22 minutes. Unmould the pineapple tarts after cooled down, let it cool again on a wire rack before serving or storing in an airtight container