Pineapple Tarts Recipe (+ Eggless & Vegan Pineapple Tarts)

Pineapple Tarts (Kuih Tart) on small blue plate
Pineapple Tarts (Kuih Tart) – as featured by the Singapore Malay Heritage Centre

What does the Malay word “Kuih” Mean?

There is no direct translation for this Malay word. It refers to a sweet, and can be baked goods, steamed or even fried.

However, the word will not include cakes, which is kek in Malay. In plural, we say kuih-muih, which also describes a variety of sweet delights.

Kuih is pronounced coo-way, the emphasis is on the second syllable. So go fast on coo. And k sound on the coo.

Incidentally, the word pineapple is ong lai in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect. But together, the two words also loosely mean that success/prosperity is coming your way. So, it’s also a very popular cookie at Chinese New Year, besides Eid, Diwali and Christmas.

Pineapple Tarts Recipe with Condensed Milk

Our pineapple tarts recipe here is my late granny’s, and one I’ve been using since I was about 8! And it has a small amount of condensed milk in it, which is very handy for our eggless pineapple tarts recipe (also given below).

The pastry isn’t sweet because of it, as in the traditional recipe, we’re only using 1 Tbsp. In the eggless version, there is only a hint of sweetness, like sweet shortcrust pastry.

When I make these for Eid, they never fail to remind me of her.

My grandma, circa 1940

Circle of Life

Just as we used to make these kuih tart with my grandma, the younger generations are doing the same thing. My girls do much of the baking for me these days, with the boys lending a hand.

And here’s an image of my sister and her granddaughter making the tarts in Melbourne for Eid 2022. And one of Sapphire making the tarts for Eid 2022.

Best Melt in Your Mouth Pineapple Tarts Recipe

I’ve tweaked my granny’s recipe ever so slightly, but it still remains true to the one we used as kids, right down to the way I mix everything up, and even the brand of butter we use.

Funny really, I’ve discovered better butter brands for cakes, but when it comes to my kuih tart, I only ever use Anchor!

Our shortcrust dough is just slightly lighter, almost crumbly, which gives the cookie an almost melt in the mouth texture, the way I like it.

You need special cutters for the tarts (only available in said countries), ones that cut the pastry while making an indentation for the jam filling at the same time.

These days, the “kuih tart” cutters have grooves that will create a pattern on the cookies, see the image above. However, when we were young, we used to have to make these patterns using pastry crimpers, or sepit, in Malay. See image above, that’s my grandma’s almost-100-year old crimper!

Imagine making 1 000 little tarts, cutting them, filling them and then crimping them! My older brother used to roll out the dough and cut, my two younger siblings and I filled and my older sister crimped.

As we grew older, our responsibilities changed, and the younger ones would move on to the more difficult part of the assembly line!

A labour of love!

I still remember how our pineapple tarts had a reputation all of their own – my granny would receive orders by the thousands! And it followed us everywhere we went.

Once someone tasted our kuih tart, there was no turning back. Every year until I left Singapore for the UK, I’d get asked for “a favour”! Paid favours of course, and by the dozens!

Pineapple Tarts Recipe

Making your own pineapple tarts is very, very doable. It is time consuming however, so perhaps that’s why many people resort to shop bought.

This is what we’ll be doing:

  1. Make the pineapple jam filling – this is a separate post here on SMR. 
  2. Make the dough.
  3. Cut out the cookies- the most tedious part of the recipe.
  4. Fill and bake.
  5. Cool to room temperature and store.

Ingredients

Making your own kuih tart requires very basic ingredients. Let’s take a look at the main ingredients that we need to make pineapple tarts.

Pineapples

You need pineapples to make your pineapple jam to fill your cookies with. Always, always, use fresh pineapples. Canned pineapples and their juice is all wrong for making kuih tart.

Can’t get fresh pineapples? Your best substitute is frozen chopped ones that are sold for making smoothies. Just stay away from the tinned pineapples and the sweetened pineapple juice they come with.

And there is no need to add cornstarch to thicken your jam either.

Trust me on this. I’ve been making these little guys for almost half a century (good grief!), I know what I’m talking about!

Flour

You need plain old, all purpose flour for making pineapple tarts. Please don’t add any cornflour or cornstarch as suggested by other food sites. You don’t need it. The pastry is a shortcrust type, that will produce melt in your mouth kind of cookies.

Adding cornflour creates a starchy feel which is not what your kuih tart is all about. And no cake flour either. You may see other sites suggesting combining the two to produce softer cookies. But that means your cookies will be more cake like in feel, not the crumbly cookie feel of an authentic kuih tart.

The above is something I’ve had countless emails about, so I thought I’d better mention it.

Butter

Not margarine, not a mixture of the two, just good old butter. I’m one of the very, very few professionals out there who choses to use salted butter in  her baking and cooking.

Folks will tell you that you should use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in your recipe. I have never subscribed to this belief, as the amount of salt in the butter is too little to warrant it. Unless the butter will interfere with the cooking process, like when making ghee.

So in the recipes below, I use salted butter.

Sugar

The only sugar we use is white sugar for the jam. This can be granulated or caster, it doesn’t matter, it’s all going to dissolve.

What you don’t want to do is sweeten the pastry by adding icing sugar (powdered sugar) to the pastry. The beauty of a classic, traditional pineapple tart is the contrast with the crumbly, almost bland pastry and the sweet pineapple filling.

And while we’re at it, please don’t add any vanilla extract to your pineapple tart pastry either. I’ve had a few emails about this too, so here’s your answer.

Homemade Pineapple Jam Filling

The pineapple tarts are filled with homemade pineapple jam (image below) which is simplicity itself. To make this pineapple filling. all you do is chop up the pineapple finely in a chopper and cook away on the stove on medium heat, initially. 

We add some sugar as well as a couple of cloves and a small cinnamon stick, for flavour. No star anise, please.

You’ll need to stir your jam from time to time, especially towards the end as it dries up.

The jam will last a week in the fridge and any leftover can also be eaten with bread and butter.

Homemade pineapple jam
Homemade pineapple jam

Make ahead Pineapple Tarts dough?

Kuih Tart dough can be made earlier and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before you start working on it.

It can also be frozen, like most other pastry. My advice is to freeze it for up to 3 months, but from one of the old comments left on LinsFood, one of my readers went 4 months with no problems.

Defrost it overnight in the fridge (covered). Then bring it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you’re ready to make it. Or you can defrost for 2 hours on the kitchen counter before you start to cut out the cookies.

a cup of tea is always nice!

Making Pineapple Tarts without the specialist cutters

Of course, you can always make these in the shape of ordinary jam cookies, or thumbprint cookies.

In fact, it has been quite fashionable for quite a while to make pineapple tarts into tiny rolls (called nastar), very popular and traditional in Indonesia. But let’s face it, these are much prettier!

Eggless Pineapple Tarts

My girls are allergic to eggs, so when I make kuih tart just for us (instead of clients and students), I make an eggless version.

All we do is:

  • replace the egg with 70g (1/4 cup) condensed milk. So that will be the 70g PLUS 1 Tbsp the recipe already calls for.
  • we also add 1/4 tsp baking powder sifted with the flour. Eggs also have lifting properties, and that’s what we’re replacing, to ensure that our tarts’ pastry remains soft and airy.

Vegan Pineapple Tarts

Converting this traditional kuih tart recipe into vegan pineapple tarts is pretty easy. The pineapple jam is vegan, so no problem there.

For the dough, we’ve already got the eggless version, as discussed above. Now what we do is simply:

  1. replace the butter with vegetable fat like Planta – when I was a kid, this was how many of our neighbours made their festive cookies. Maybe because it was cheaper than butter?
  2. use a vegan condensed milk, or replace the condensed milk with a combination of vegan yoghurt (soy?) and non dairy milk. See the full recipe in the recipe card.

Tips for Making Kuih Tart

The more you make them, the more you’ll get to know the process and will find it easier. Unfortunately, as this is only done once or twice a year, there is not a whole lot of practice opportunities. So here are a few things to help you:

  • you may not need all the butter. Every ingredient is different. Your butter may have slightly more moisture than the one I’m using. Your flour may absorb more moisture. Also, I live in a low humidity and cool country.
    >> So stick with the flour amount, but don’t use all the butter to begin with, as I have written in the recipe card below.
  • Use a sheet of plastic or cling film to roll out the dough. This will not only stop the dough from sticking to your rolling pin but it will also create a smoother surface. The cling film will lose its sticky feel very quickly as you use it.
  • Dip the cutter into the flour, shake off excess, then cut, after every 2-3 cuts! Trust me or it’ll stick!
  • In the recipe card below, I suggest putting the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes. We never did this in hot and humid Singapore, but the reason I suggest you do so is:
    1. for first timers, I’m not there to help you ensure the dough is of the right texture. If it’s too soft, placing it in the fridge will allow you to cut it better.
    2. for the same reason, the pattern will stay on better if your dough is softer than it’s meant to be.
that little brown plate was my granny’s, I always use it at Eid

Pineapple Tarts Prep and Cook Times

A note about the times listed here. On the recipe card, I’ve given you the time it will take to make the dough, cut, fill and bake 1 tray of about 24 kuih tarts. Let me break down the prep and cook time so we can work out how long it’s going to take us to make the amount here.

Did I mention “labour of love”?

  • Getting ingredients ready: 10 minutes
  • Making pastry/dough: 10 minutes
  • Chilling: 10 minutes
  • Rolling and cutting 1 tray of 24 tarts: 10 minutes
  • Filling with jam (1 tray x 24 tarts): 5 minutes
  • Cook time of 1 tray of 24 tarts: 15 minutes

Total for 1 tray of 24 tarts: 1 hour

120 tarts = roughly 5 trays. All you need to multiply is the rolling, cutting, filling and baking times.

10 + 5 + 15 = 30 minutes

So total rolling, cutting and baking time for 5 trays = 30 minutes x 5 = 150 minutes.

Unless you bake 2 trays at a time, which is what I do, so it’ll be 90 minutes.

Don’t forget the initial prep work though! That was 30 minutes in all (ingredients, making dough and chilling).

So add that to our times above.

1 baking tray at a time = Total time will be 3 hours.

Baking 2 trays at a time = Total time will be 2 hours.

Phew! Good thing I enjoy maths!

Pineapple Tarts (Kuih Tart)
perfect for little hands!

How long can you keep Pineapple Tarts?

Traditional homemade pineapple tarts can last up to 4 weeks, if kept in an airtight container. However, I’ve had them after 5-6 weeks and they were still edible. Personally, I think they are nowhere near as good after 3 weeks, the dough takes on a softer feel.

Eggless pineapple tarts, in my opinion, should be eaten within 2 weeks. As they aren’t as crisp to begin with, they don’t survive as long.

How many calories are in a pineapple tart?

With my recipe here, each pineapple tart has 48 calories. Bear in mind, that the amount of pineapple jam in the tart will affect this figure. Take a look at my recipe card below, and you’ll have a brief nutritional breakdown.

Why do pineapple tarts turn mouldy?

2 reasons:

  1. they weren’t cooked well enough – you need to ensure that the dough has a chance to fully cook through, a light golden beige is the colour we aim for. If unsure, just break a tart in half and taste the tart.
  2. storage conditions – in an airtight container in a cool dry place is the best. But hey, I grew up in Singapore, which is seriously hot and humid, and we never had a problem! So the first reason above is the most important.

Gosh, that’s probably more information that you were expecting!

Shall we get our aprons on?

If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. And if you are feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating! 😉Thank you!

If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @azlinbloor and hashtag it #linsfood.

Lin xx

More Festive Recipes

Head on over to the still-growing Eid Recipes page for more ideas for Raya.

Kuih Rose (aka Kuih Loyang, Rosette Cookies)
Full proof kuih rose recipe. Also known as kuih loyang, these are pretty easy to make, and last a good 2 weeks.
Check out this recipe!
kuih rose cookies on a blue plate
Traditional Kuih Makmur (Malay Peanut Filled Eid Cookies)
Kuih Makmur are pretty little Eid cookies with a leaf pattern, filled with crushed toasted peanuts, from Singapore and Malaysia.
Check out this recipe!
Kuih Makmur on a blue plate with icing sugar
Biskut Kacang (Peanut Cookies aka Biskut Mazola)
Biskut kacang recipe, melt-in-the-mouth peanut cookies from Singapore and Malaysia, perfect for Eid, Chinese New Year, Diwali and Christmas.
Check out this recipe!
Biskut Kacang (Peanut Cookies, aka Biskut Mazola)

Images by LinsFoodies

Pineapple Tarts (Kuih Tart) on small blue plate

Pineapple Tarts Recipe (Resepi Kuih Tart, + Eggless and Vegan Pineapple Tarts)

Azlin Bloor
Pineapple Tarts or Kuih Tart in Malay, are the personification of the festive cookie in Singapore and Malaysia; melt in your mouth shortcrust pastry shells filled with homemade pineapple jam.
Last Updated April 2022.
4.98 from 140 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Cookies
Cuisine Singaporean and Malaysian
Servings 60 (Recipe makes about 120 little tarts)
Calories 96 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 700 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp condensed milk at room temperature
  • 400-500 g salted butter, at room temperature (14 oz – 17.5 oz)
  • 1 portion pineapple jam
  • a bowl with extra plain flour for dusting
Eggless Pineapple Tarts
  • 700 g plain flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 70 g condensed milk, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp condensed milk, at room temperature PLUS this amount too
  • 400-450 g salted butter, at room temperature (14 oz – 1 lb)
  • 1 portion pineapple jam
  • a bowl with extra plain flour for dusting
Vegan Pineapple Tarts
  • 700 g plain flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 400-450 g vegetable fat or vegan butter at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vegan yoghurt (soy or anything else)
  • 4 Tbsp dairy free milk OR water (you'll probably not need all of it) COLD

Instructions
 

Making Pineapple Tarts Pastry

  • Sift the flour.
  • Whisk the egg and condensed milk with a wooden spoon until combined.
  • Add 400g (14oz) of the butter and mix in as much as is possible. You will most likely not get a smooth mix, and that's perfectly fine. The only way to get it smooth is with an electric mixer which we are not using here, as you will end up with a dough that's way too soft. It will get smooth as we add the flour.
  • Add the sifted flour and mix it in by using cutting motions with your spoon (or pastry cutter), i.e., north-south, east-west. If your dough feels too dry and crumbly, add more butter, bit by bit, but remember, we want to be gentle and not knead the dough. Just use your fingertips, see the video.
    You will probably not need all the butter.
  • Now, using your fingers, bring it all together lightly, do not knead.
  • Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 10 minutes, no longer as the dough will be too brittle.

Rolling, Cutting and Filling Pineapple Tarts

  • On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a depth of about ½ cm (⅕ in). Remember to place cling film on the dough before rolling.
  • Dust a small amount of flour on the surface of your pastry and very lightly spread it out with your fingers. This will aid in the pastry not sticking to the cutter.
  • Using your cutter, cut out shapes (dip in flour!) and place on cookie sheet. If your oven takes 2 trays at once, fill 2 cookie sheets.
  • Preheat oven to 160˚C/310˚F (Fan 140°C).
  • Fill the tart shells with jam, being careful not to overfill them. To me, they look rather unsightly when the jam is bulging out almost like a ball. Place the dough back in the fridge while filling the cut out tarts.

Bake ’em, Dano

  • Bake the pineapple tarts for 15-18 minutes until a pale golden colour, not brown. We are going for a beige look!
    If your oven runs cool, you may need more time, the full 18 minutes. One of my readers had to cook hers for 22 minutes each tray because her tarts were just not browning!
    Also, the thicker your tarts, the more time you will need.
    And, if baking 2 trays at a time, the one on the lower shelf will probably need 2-3 minutes more.
  • Repeat the whole rolling, cutting and filling with the rest of the pastry.
  • When cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature, every layer lined with baking/parchment paper to prevent sticking. They will keep for 2-3 weeks easily, that is, if they don’t get eaten up first!

Eggless Pineapple Tarts

  • Sift the flour and baking powder.
  • Add 400g (14oz) of the butter and mix in as much as is possible. You will most likely not get a smooth mix, and that's perfectly fine. The only way to get it smooth is with an electric mixer which we are not using here, as you will end up with a dough that's way too soft. It will get smooth as we add the flour.
  • Add all the condensed milk and mix thoroughly with the wooden spoon.
  • Follow the rest of the recipe as above and bake for and additional 3-5 minutes until you get a very light brown golden colour. The reason for the extra cooking time is because they are eggless, they tend to get softer as the days go by, so I like to give them a good crisp start.

Vegan Pineapple Tarts

  • Sift the flour and baking powder.
  • Mix the shortening and vegan condensed milk together with a wooden spoon, don’t worry if they don’t mix well.
  • 2. Tip in half the flour and mix it into the wet ingredients and mix it in by using cutting motions with your spoon, i.e., north-south, east-west. We want to be gentle and not knead the dough.
  • Keep adding the flour bit by bit until you have a mixture that’s not too crumbly. You may not need all that flour.
  • Add the water 1 Tbsp at a time, until the pastry comes together by using your fingertips.
    Don’t knead it more than 4-5 times, and only do it gently to form a smooth dough. Then continue with the recipe.
    ** Test out your pastry when you’re done. If it’s is too soft to work with, add a little more flour by sprinkling a tablespoon all over each time.
    ** Placing the pastry in the fridge will also firm it up to allow you to cut our shapes easily and produce crumbly tarts.
    ** Don’t forget to dip your cutter in the flour to stop it from sticking.
  • Bake for and additional 3-5 minutes until you get a very light brown golden colour. The reason for the extra cooking time is because they are eggless, they tend to get softer as the days go by, so I like to give them a good crisp start.

Fancy Kuih Makmur?

Video

Notes

See notes above the recipe for proper cooking times. The times here reflect the filling and baking of 1 tray of about 24 tarts.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tartsCalories: 96kcalCarbohydrates: 9.8gProtein: 1.4gFat: 5.6gCholesterol: 17.6mgSodium: 45.2mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 0.8g
Keyword eid recipes, raya recipes, resepi raya
Tried this recipe?Mention @azlinbloor or tag #linsfood!
Made it? Upload your Photos!Mention @azlinbloor or tag #linsfood!

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78 thoughts on “Pineapple Tarts Recipe (+ Eggless & Vegan Pineapple Tarts)”

    1. Hi David, it’s in the recipe card. The “jump to video” button is right at the top, next to the “jump to recipe” button.
      Sometimes, if the connection isn’t great, the video may take longer to load.

      Here is the slightly longer version on YouTube, the recipe itself starts at 4:10: https://youtu.be/AxomMOhbeUY?feature=shared
      YouTube also has “chapters” or key moments in the recipe.

  1. Hi, I notice there is no egg yolk brush on the surface of the tart. Can I do so to achieve a brown finish? Will it affect the texture of the tarts? Thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Flo, we don’t traditionally give these open tarts an egg wash, but there is no reason why you can’t. It won’t affect the texture, apart from adding just a touch of crunchy layer. It will also brown a just little more.

  2. Thank you for the recipe, these Pineapple Tarts are amazing! The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth crust paired with the sweet and tangy pineapple filling is pure perfection.

  3. 5 stars
    These pineapple tarts are so good, the best I’ve ever had. Thank you, also perfect for gifting!

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing your granny’s recipe. Everybody who’s tasted them wants the recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    Pineapple tarts are one of my favorite desserts and this one I’ll tell you, it is awesome. Thank you for sharing this!

  6. 5 stars
    Just tried this and they turned out so wonderful! Just wondering if we can alsp add a bit of icing sugar to the tart recipe?

    1. Hi Cass, I’m pleased you like them.
      Yes, if you want a slightly sweeter pastry, you can add icing sugar to it. How much will depend on how sweet you’d like it to be. I’d start off with 60g. That’s probably still on the low side. It won’t give you a sweet shortcrust pastry, but will give you a pastry that has a hint of sweetness.
      Sift the flour and icing sugar together, then take a pinch and taste it. If you’d like it sweeter, add 30g more.
      Then proceed with the recipe as above. You may need a little more butter.

  7. Hi Azlin. I will be trying your recipe soon. Any idea if it is possible to make them into balls instead of using a cutter & not affecting the texture of the tarts when baking? Thank you!

    1. Hi Jes, it’s a pretty soft dough, as it’s the key to the melt-in-the-mouth texture. So you should be able to make them into balls pretty easily. In fact, that’s how I usually use up the last bit of dough, when I can’t really roll it out much.

  8. 5 stars
    Just tried these today and they were delicious- buttery and melt in your mouth! Thank you so much for sharing! I had the problem of the dough sticking to the cutter – will try dipping in flour next time!

    1. This is one of my most treasured recipes Mel, so I’m really pleased you love it. Yes, that cutter wants dipping in flour regularly. I’m going to bold that part of the instructions if I haven’t already! xx

  9. 5 stars
    Hi! I have tried this recipe but I am having issues with the baking time. So is it okay if I bake it together with the jam for 15-18 mins at 160c? When I do I notice the dough is slightly undone as when i overturn it, its still abit wet and not cooked through. Please give me advice if you have!

    1. Hi Ashley, yes, bake them for as long as necessary. There was 1 reader who said she had to bake them for 22 minutes to get the pastry done. Oven are different, and it will also depend on the thickness of your pastry. Just keep an eye on them. I would increase the baking time for 2 minutes each time, until you are happy with the result.

      1. 4 stars
        Hi! Unfortunately this recipe did not work for me. I use the tart base for nutella tarts and its nice and buttery. But when i use it with the pineapple jam , it never bakes properly at all 🙁 I use 630g of flour, could that be the reason its not baking properly? I put it in the oven at 160c for 19 mins and its still underbaked! and everytime i try to put it back in the oven, it becomes more and more underbaked for some reason! very confusing.. thank u for replying so soon

        1. Hi Ashley, that must be disappointing for you.
          The part about the tart shells being more underbaked as time goes on, is understandably frustrating. It’s impossible of course, and the only reason to explain that is a wet filling. So I’m thinking that your pineapple jam is probably not dry enough.
          The fact that it worked with nutella is definitely an indication that it’s the filling that’s the issue.
          I hope that helps.

  10. Hi Azlin, thank you for the recipe. Quick question, am I able to omit out the condensed milk as I am not able to find it? Thanks in advance

    1. Hi Nura, if you’re making the regular ones (not eggless), then sure, as we’re only using a small amount.
      No need to substitute it with anything else.

  11. Hello, I’m going to make the vegan one! For my daughter’s class (due to allergies and some vegans in her class). I noticed for the eggless you replaced it with 70g of condensed milk. Do you have to do the same with the vegan if I have the vegan condensed milk? Vegan one calls for just one Tbsp of it.

    Also how does the vegan one taste in comparison to the others ones? Thank you so much!

    Carmen

    1. Hi Carmen, in the vegan recipe, we have 1 Tbsp vegan yoghurt + 4 Tbsp dairy free milk. If you have vegan condensed milk, you can just use that, so 5 Tbsp vegan condensed milk.
      When you’re mixing in, don’t add all the vegan butter at the start, as you see in the recipe, I say 400 – 450g. Start with 400g, then add more if your pastry is dry.

      The reason I didn’t just sub it with vegan condensed milk is because I don’t know how easy it is to get in other parts of the world. Here in the UK, we’re lucky, there’s not much we can’t get when it comes to ingredients.

      Taste wise – my vegan students and clients love them. Naturally, I prefer the traditional ones, but I would still happily eat the vegan one. The only thing it’s missing is the butter flavour. Like the difference between a pie made with pastry with butter and pastry with vegetable oil.

      Let me know how they turn out and what the kids thought of them.

      1. Thank you for your quick response! I will keep you posted. I’ve decided I will make a batch of the original and vegan 😊.

      2. Yikes, I need help! As I don’t have a scale, it seems 700g flour is converted into 5 3/4 c? Then 400-450g of shortening is about 2.09c? After sitting there flour do you mean set it aside then mix the shortening and vegan condensed milk together first before adding back the sifted flour? I did both ways and my problem is that the dough is not forming, still very crumbly. I’ve added About a cup of water and still not coming together. Am I getting the conversions wrong?

        Please help!

        1. Hi Carmen, sorry to hear you’re having problems. Here are the likely reasons:
          1. The problem with using cup measurements is that it’s never accurate when converting from one form to another. Are you filling the cup loosely, are you pressing down on it, so many variables.
          2. Not all flour is created equal. How much your flour weighs, how it acts in a recipe depends on the brand, as well as the humidity where you are. Today, in the cold of winter, my 1 cup of flour measures almost 140g. In the dry summer heat, it measures around 120-125g.
          3. Your wet vegan ingredients also have different properties than butter, so you may need more or less. I shall add this information in the recipe card above.

          Let’s try and solve this, shall we?
          This is what you do after sifting the flour:

          1. Mix the shortening and vegan condensed milk together with a wooden spoon, don’t worry if they don’t mix well.
          2. Tip in half the flour and mix it into the wet ingredients and mix it in by using cutting motions with your spoon, i.e., north-south, east-west. We want to be gentle and not knead the dough.
          3. Keep adding the flour bit by bit until you have a mixture that’s not too crumbly. It sounds like you’re not going to need all that flour.
          4. Add the water 1 Tbsp at a time, until the pastry comes together by using your fingertips.
          Don’t knead it more than 4-5 times, and only do it gently to form a smooth dough. Then continue with the recipe.

          ** Test out your pastry when you’re done. If it’s is too soft to work with, add a little more flour by sprinkling a tablespoon all over each time.

          ** Placing the pastry in the fridge will also firm it up to allow you to cut our shapes easily and produce crumbly tarts.

          ** Don’t forget to dip your cutter in the flour to stop it from sticking.

          ps: adding too much water to pastry will make it tough.

          I hope this helps. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

          1. 5 stars
            Hi Azlin,
            I appreciate so much, first for sharing your family’s recipe, second to take time to help me! I ended up buying a food scale and it was the measurements that messed me up. What was very helpful was also telling me to add half the flour first then slowly until enough which I didn’t do the first two tries.

            They turned out amazing!! I couldn’t stop eating them as was baking them. Truthfully, I live in California, and I have not kept up to many LNY traditions since I’ve moved away from home, and I think my daughter is use to sweeter treats. She came home from school and told me to add frosting to them next time so all the kids would eat them, lol 🤦🏻‍♀️ . I made some for my son’s class and I was delighted to see many kids, not Asian, eating them and asked for more.

            Thank you again. And HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

            1. I’m so pleased to hear that, Carmen. Your daughter is so cute, our sweet stuff does take a bit of getting used to if you’re not born to it! Only 2 of my 4 are keen on the local kuih and desserts.
              I was the same as you, it was only when I had kids that I started looking back to my roots.
              Wishing you and your family a wonderful Lunar New Year!

  12. Hi – im wondering if the amount of flour accurate at 700g and uses just one egg? Most recipes uses max of 400g. I’m keen to try this out as i see most of your readers have successfully made the tarts. I thought of reducing the entire amount by 50% so decided on the eggless version. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

    1. Hi Normah, my pleasure. The recipe is correct as written. Don’t know about other recipes, as I’ve never looked, this is basically my granny’s recipe, one I’ve used for 40+ years now. 700g does seem like an odd weight, doesn’t it? My granny used to use 1 kati (catty), which is equal to just over 600g, I believe. It was a conversion from that. I stuck with just 1 egg, to maintain the soft, crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture our pineapple tarts were known for.
      The more egg you use, the harder the pastry, which is not to my liking.

      If you did want to make half the egg recipe, just lightly beat the egg, then only use half of it.
      Let me know how it goes, whatever you decide.

  13. 5 stars
    Made them for the first time today with your recipe. They are so good, thank you! Selamat Hari Raya!

  14. 5 stars
    I tried a small batch, as it’s my first time. These are so good, really the best pineapple tarts I’ve ever tasted! Do you think I can freeze the cooked tarts?

    1. I’m pleased you think so, Cassie. And yes, you can definitely freeze them. Give them 2-3 hours to defrost and come to room temperature, depending on how warm it is where you are.

  15. What’s the difference between using salted and unsalted butter for these tarts? I’ve seen other recipes that calls for unsalted butter.

    1. Hi Billy, whether making savoury or sweet, you always want a tiny amount of salt in the pastry to give it an all rounded flavour. Without the salt, the pastry tastes a little flat.
      From a professional point of view, unsalted butter is the preferred choice when baking because pastry chefs like to control the amount of salt and add a pinch themselves. I’m one of the few who much prefers to use salted butter when baking. That means I don’t need to add any salt to my pastry.
      So if you see someone using unsalted butter, they should have a pinch of salt in the ingredients. If they don’t, then their pineapple tarts pastry will be lacking in depth ever so slightly.
      So the difference between the two is that salted butter or adding a pinch of salt when using unsalted, will produce better tasting tarts.
      I hope that helps.

    1. Hi Jane, a week in the fridge is too long, I’m afraid. 2 days is about as much as it will last. However, you can freeze your dough. Defrost it overnight in the fridge (covered). Then bring it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you’re ready to make it.
      Or you can defrost for 2 hours on the kitchen counter before you start to cut out the cookies.

  16. 5 stars
    Spending Eid for the first time away this year and I’m already trying some kuih before I leave. We all agree that this kuih tart recipe is the best one we’ve tried. Thanks Lin.

    1. Thanks Maggie, the recipe is just above this comment. Scroll up a little and you should see it.
      When you are at the top of this page, there are buttons that say “Jump to Recipe” and “Jump to Video”.

  17. 5 stars
    These are so good! Definitely the best melt in the mouth pineapple tarts I’ve tried. Thanks!

  18. Sheela Devi

    Hi Azlin, tarts looks so good. I am just wondering… Is using condensed milk in this recepi makes a difference compared to the ones without condensed milk? I want to try out d eggless one n just wondering to omit d condensed milk.

    1. Thank you, Sheela. In the first recipe, the one with eggs, the condensed milk doesn’t really make a difference to the flavour, it adds just the tiniest hint of creaminess and also softness. It’s my granny’s recipe, that’s how she made it and I have never tasted anything better.
      In the second recipe, which is my eggless version, the condensed milk takes the place of the eggs. So you definitely need them. It doesn’t make the tarts sweet though, just the tiniest bit. Like sweet shortcrust pastry, there is a small hint of sweetness that goes very well with the sweet filling.
      I hope that helps. Any other questions, just ask.

  19. 5 stars
    Thanks, I have to agree with everyone else here, the best kuih tart I have ever tasted! I had to stop the kids from eating too many before tomorrow!

  20. 5 stars
    My wife just made almost 500 of these for Deepavali and has asked me to say thank you to you. She says they are the best she has ever tasted. Having eaten a few, I have to agree!

  21. 5 stars
    I’m keeping your recipe. Particularly helpful on the one without egg ss thinking if for vegetarian.

    Question: I’ve seen recipe where the base is baked for about 5 mins before topping the jam. Is it necessary? What’s the difference?

    1. Hi Agnes, that’s interesting. I personally don’t think it’s necessary, as the pastry shells are so tiny compared to an 8 or 9inch tart. In that instance, we want to pre bake to prevent a soggy base.

      The pineapple tart base crisps up perfectly, not only because it’s tiny, to begin with, but we cook the pineapple jam to a pretty dry stage. So there really isn’t any moisture to worry about.

      I think this is a classic example of trying to “improve” or change a traditional recipe when it’s just not needed.

      When you get around to making it, let me know how it goes.

          1. 5 stars
            Realised that to be vegetarian it has to be more than eggless, can use milk too as I’ve your recipe. So cannot use your recipe eventually. Sorry. But that got me looking farther for vegetarian egg tarts. Found it, still taste pretty good though not buttery.

            Thanks for sharing regardless!

            1. I’ve had a few readers substituting the milk with soya and coconut products successfully. You are talking about it being vegan, aren’t you? Glad you found something that works for you.

  22. Rani Davendran

    5 stars
    These tarts were very, very good, Azlin, thank you. I did a quick try with quarter of the recipe, planning to make hundreds for Deepavali, to give to family. I know they will love them.

  23. Veronica Rodrigues

    Kuih cookies look delicious if only these cutters could be available in Toronto. Thumb print cookies do not compare to these atleast in presentation. If only we could buy them online, please let me know.
    Thank you!

    1. Thank you Veronica. I know, it’s a pain for so many of my readers. The last time I had visitors form Singapore, I got them to bring a whole lot, and I would post them on to my readers around the world , for free. Sadly, I’ve run out and because of these current times, haven’t had any visitors in a couple of years.
      Why don’t you try a search on Ebay Canada for “Kuih Tart cutters”? I found this on Ebay UK, the seller is in Malaysia and delivers worldwide: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273672896453?hash=item3fb82cffc5:g:80MAAOSw3~5cS8CJ
      The price is pretty steep for what it is, but I suppose there is international postage to take into account.

    1. HI Indrani, I don’t think there really is a “true” version. Every family is going to mkae theirs a little bit different. Having said that, I’ve never tasted any that were better than this recipe, which was my granny’s.

  24. Hi.
    How do I get your pineapple jam recipe as well as best melt in the mouth version?

    Thank you

  25. 5 stars
    Last year, I buat resepi ni, sedaplah Kak Lin. Tapi, sekarang, anak tu dah jadi vegan. Boleh buat vegan tak?

    1. Hi Sue, boleh buat vegan, tengok recipe untuk eggless, tapi use margarine for the butter. Susu tu boleh pakai susu soya lah, pasal, cuma sedikit sehaja. Tapi, maybe nak tepung extra.

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