I sniffed the pineapple tarts in front of me with skepticism.

I had eaten Taiwanese pineapple pastries before but never really quite liked them. My parents, on the other hand, absolutely loved them and would make the special effort to buy them every time they travelled to Taiwan. I just never understood why. Why not grab some chocolate instead?

I examined the pale exterior of the cookies again. THESE particular ones in front of me looked a little different. They were Singaporean Pineapple Tarts shaped into sausage rolls and stuffed with pineapple filling. I looked around to see the excitement on the faces of the 3 other girls – was it really that good?

“Try! it’s good!” my friend nudged me.

I reluctantly picked up the nearest one to me and crammed it into my mouth. I felt my eyes fly open. I was surprised by the flavor of the warm buttery cookie melting onto my tongue accompanied by the sweet fruitiness. It was almost as if I was in the Tropics, enjoying a warm fresh-out-of-the-oven shortbread cookie. It wasn’t just good. It was really REALLY good.

I noticed Zoe’s hand immediately stuck out to grab another one off the baking tray. I couldn’t wait any second longer for a second piece, then third, then fourth. Before we knew it, all of us had almost cleaned out the entire tray.

Ever since I’ve had homemade pineapple tarts there really was no turning back. It’s sort of like having homemade brownies or chocolate chip cookies, because for some reason homemade baked goods always taste exceptionally delicious. Maybe it’s the fact that you can eat it warm out of the oven, or maybe the acknowledgement of the effort that someone you love has put in. And since then, I’ve always dreamed of being able to eat those homemade pineapple tarts.

Turning these Singaporean Pineapple Tarts paleo, gluten free, dairy free and vegan was a HUGE project for us. How on earth do you make these Classic Tarts taste the same without any of its traditional ingredients? It was such a challenge to find a dough recipe that would hold and wrap around without having to use too much oil. After, experimenting with this recipe many many times (and failing most of it), we finally decided to do it one more time in honor of my favorite Chinese festival – Chinese New Year. Across Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia and Singapore, Pineapple Tarts are extremely popular especially around Chinese New Year. It is well-loved treat that family and friends enjoy as a snack. Although our family never made homemade Pineapple Tarts during Chinese New Year, it is definitely a well-loved treat! After much research and planning, we finally settled on combining a Paleo Hamantaschen recipe with a very simple/quick pineapple jam filling. We put it to the test by baking a batch of these beauties for a Chinese family gathering (without knowing they were allergy free). I watched as my uncle took the first bite. Then my aunt. The next were my parents. I heard lots of “mmmhhmms” and multiple hands sneaking to grab seconds. Then, a few voices spoke up, “Can I have the recipe?”

I simply smiled, “I guess you’ll have to wait for our next blog post!”

But I do have to say that the funniest was probably my little sister who grabbed one right off the tray when we first took it out of the oven. I asked how it turned out and she turned to me and said, “I won’t know till I have another one. It was too hot. Can I have another one?”

That was the moment I knew we had a winning recipe!

DISCLAIMER: these will not taste like the original! They taste great but they are definitely not the same! This is a great alternative for those who want something healthier or have allergies!

Pineapple Tarts (鳳梨酥) is a Southeast Asian treat that originates from Malaysia and Singapore. It is usually eaten during the Lunar Chinese New Year Celebration. This utterly delicious – buttery, soft, flaky pastry filled with caramelized pineapple jam can be found in all shapes and forms. Sometimes they are shaped into rolls, other times they can be found as open-face tart. The rich pastry case is complimented perfectly by a homemade spiced, fruit jam making this an elegant and delicious treat to share with family and friends. You can find these in many stores in Southeast Asia and is a favorite amongst tourists! A variation of this is the Taiwanese pineapple “cake” which is a rectangular shaped pastry stuffed with pineapple or winter melon jam. 

Pineapple Jam (Vegan, Refined Sugar Free)

 

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Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: ¾ - 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Pineapple
• 6-8 tbsp Honey/Agave/Maple Syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise, optional

Instructions

1. (Best made the night before):
2. Cut the pineapple and add to a blender. Pulse until mushy (no large chunks).
3. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth or sieve to strain the excess liquid away. (DO NOT SQUEEZE all the juice out because it will be too dry and you will want some of the liquid)
4. Pour all of its contents into a small saucepan along with our choice of sweetener and cinnamon stick.
5. Bring the mixture to boil and then lower to simmer for 1 hour or until liquid has evaporated and becomes a jam-like consistency. Keep an eye on the jam, be sure to stir the mixture frequently throughout to avoid burning. (Taste and adjust sweetness).
6. Discard the star anise and cinnamon stick.
7. Fridge for several hours or overnight.

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Revised Paleo Singaporean Pineapple Tarts 鳳梨酥 (GF, Vegan, DF, Refined Sugar Free)

 

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Crust Adapted from Ooosha

Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 28 Round Tarts, 28 Little Pigs

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 2⅓ cups Almond Flour
• ⅔ cup Tapioca Starch
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
• Water
• Egg wash:1 beaten egg OR for vegan option mix 2 tbsp non-dairy milk and 1 tbsp maple syrup/ honey

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the almond flour and tapioca starch.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until a dough it formed.
3. If the mixture is too dry add in 1-2 tsp water to help it bind.
4. Place the dough in the fridge covered for 15-20 minutes.
5. Traditional Round Pineapple Tarts:
6. Take 1 tbsp of the dough and flatten. Add 1 tsp of filling into the center. Fold over and pinch to seal the edges. Repeat this till you have used up all your dough!
7. Place your finished tart onto a lined baking tray.
8. FOR OPEN FACED:
9. Take 1 tbsp of dough.
10. Shape and fallen into a round disc,
11. Use your thumb and dent each cookie.
12. Roll 1 tsp of pineapple jam into a ball and place in the middle. (if the edges are too thick, you can flatten it with your thumb).
13. For the PIG: Take 1 tbsp of the dough and flatten. Add 1 tsp of filling into the center. Repeat until you have made approx. 28.
14. Use the excess dough to make the ears (triangle) and the nose (oval). Use a knife to make holes for the noes.Then use black sesame seeds as the eyes. You want the tarts to sit up so that the face is facing side ways (see picture).
15. Baking (for both):
16. Preheat oven to 350F.
17. Mix the ingredients for egg wash together. Brush the egg wash over your cookies.
18. For the Pig: Brush vegan egg wash only on the nose and the ears to make it brown!
19. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out and brush with extra egg wash on top again.
20. Turn your oven to broil and broil the tarts for 2-3 mins. [/i]
21. Take out of the oven to cool slightly.

Notes

When doing any sort of gluten-free or paleo baking it is best to use a mix of flours to achieve the most ideal consistency and texture. The addition of tapioca starch works beautifully, making it much easier to work with.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 28 Calories: 128.5 Fat: 7.6g Carbohydrates: 14.1g Protein: 2.2g

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LOVE,

Zoe & Mia

(This Post is featured on Allergy Free Thursdays, Think Tank Thursday, This Is How We Roll Link Party, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Weekend Potluck, Traffic Jam Weekend, Twinkly Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, What’s Cookin’ Wednesdays, Moonlight & Mason Jars)

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