Known for bringing good fortune and prosperity, these delightful sweets are part of the many traditional treats prepared for the Lunar New Year and shared among families and friends. With a crumbly shortbread outside and a fruity melt-in-your mouth pineapple jam filling, these cookies are exquisite and flavorsome!
Pineapple Cookies
Yield: 12 Cookies
Ingredients
For the filling
- 3 cups canned pineapple slices
- 1/4 cup sugar
For the dough
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp pineapple juice
For coating
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tbsp milk
Instructions
To prepare the filling
- Squeeze the pineapple slices with your hands to get rid of any excess juice.
- Place them in a blender and blitz until you get a purée.
- Transfer the pineapple purée to a saucepan.
- Add the sugar and mix well. Let simmer stirring occasionally until thickened (around 30 minutes).
- Set aside.
To prepare the dough
- Mix the flour with the corn starch, salt and powdered sugar.
- Place the mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add the soft butter, the egg yolk and the pineapple juice. Mix until combined and a dough forms.
- You can also knead the dough with your cold wet hands (keep kneading and don’t give up since it might take a few minutes for the dough to form).
To make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 F). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a tablespoon to take 12 scoops from the dough.
- Flatten each scoop into a disc.
- Place 1 tsp pineapple jam inside the disc.
- Close it from all sides and shape it smoothly with your wet hands into a ball.
- Repeat with the remaining scoops.
- Place the prepared cookies on the cookie sheet.
- Use the back of a butter knife to create a criss-cross pattern on the top of the cookies.
- Prepare a wash by mixing the egg yolk with the milk.
- Brush the top of the cookies with the egg wash and bake in the heated oven for around 18 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy!
