I've never been to someone's house with no pineapple tarts during Chinese New Year. Pineapple tarts literally spell Chinese New Year because it's everywhere. I can't imagine this festive occasion without it. 

I've been making pineapple tarts since I was a kid with my mum, and I can fondly remember the days as a child stirring pineapple jam and rolling out balls of dough. It holds the same memories as the times making mooncakes and glutinous rice balls. The kind of food that feels like home. 

We've changed the shape of our pineapple tarts over the years, the egg wash, and the baking time. But we've never changed the recipe - because it never fails. 

This recipe yields a tender, soft, melt-in-the-mouth and rich pastry, with a soft pineapple filling. We've changed the pineapple recipe over the years- from shredding by hand, to making it in the microwave, to juicing and stovetop. Use whatever method works best for you- but I always like to use the juicing stovetop method. Which means to juice the pineapple, combine the pulp and juice, and stir over low heat until the natural sugars caramelise. 

Whichever way you prefer, homemade pineapple tarts never fail because they taste so much better than the storebought - definetly much fresher, less sweet and much healthier. You can definetly change this recipe to suit your tastes- more or less sugar, less yolks for a firmer pastry, and more butter for a more melt-in-the-mouth feel. Personally, I like adding more milk powder because I love the flavour it gives :)) 

Happy CNY y'all!!! 

(Makes about 100 pieces) 

2 pineapples, grated 

4 cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks 

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt 

Pastry 

700g plain flour 

100g milk powder

500g unsalted butter 

3 egg yolks 

1 egg white 

1 tablespoon vanilla 

Cloves 

Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon of water 

For the filling: In a large saucepan, combine grated pineapples, cinnamon sticks, sugar and salt. Cool over low heat, until filling is lightly golden brown and dry enough to shape into small balls. Let it cool completely before using. 

In a large missing bowl, combine flour, milk powder and sugar. 

Rub in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Using your hands, combine the dough and briefly knead. 

Divide the dough into 2 portions and chill for at least one hour. 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

Roll out pieces of pastry, make a hole in the centre, and spoon in the pineapple filling. Roll the pineapple tart into balls. Top each pineapple tart with a clove and brush with egg wash. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown on top.