These pineapple tarts have an ultra buttery, melt-in-the-mouth pastry crumb that gives way to a sweet and tangy, delicious pineapple jam filling. The pastry comes together easily – no creaming needed!

I couldn’t wait to bake these extra buttery, melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts this year and share the results with you.

This is a long-awaited recipe update, and one that I hope will please all our pineapple tart fans out there! Yes, I mean YOU😃.

Golf ball pineapple tarts are closed pineapple tarts made with a tender, shortcrust pastry dough and a pineapple jam filling.

Table of contents

Why these pineapple tarts are so delicious

  • Ultra buttery! So, if you don’t know it yet, I love buttery, buttery pastry. And this pastry gives you that rich, sweet buttery flavour in every tart!
  • Tender, melt-in-the-mouth crumb. Biting into these pineapple tarts are going to be like love at first bite. And let me warn you, they’re highly addictive! One of my top goals in this recipe update was to make a shortcrust pastry that’s tender and more melty!
  • Super easy pastry dough. This shortcrust pastry comes together quickly in a bowl – there’s no creaming of butter and sugar required.
Golf ball pineapple tarts are closed pineapple tarts made with a tender, shortcrust pastry dough and a pineapple jam filling.

Save for Later:Golden Pineapple Tarts

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Can I make pineapple tarts in advance?

We all know how immensely satisfying and delicious homemade pineapple tarts are. It goes without saying that it takes quite a bit of work, and a few hours at a stretch.

But it’s all so worth it when you see how much these are appreciated by your family and friends. Their enjoyment and compliments will make you want to do it every year!

If you’d like to make these ahead of time, here are a couple of suggestions to make your life easier and as hassle-free as possible.

  • If you plan to cook your own pineapple jam (which I highly recommend 👍), this can be done a day or two in advance. When well stored, homemade pineapple jam will keep in the chiller for up to three weeks, and in the freezer for up to a year.
  • Likewise, the pastry dough can also be made ahead and kept chilled for up to 3 days. This pastry dough also freezes very well. If frozen, let it thaw in the chiller the night before, before dividing, filling and shaping into tarts.

Ingredients for pineapple tarts

  • Pineapple jam (store-bought or homemade). I always make my own pineapple jam, because there’s just so much more flavour and authenticity from cooking your own jam. Not to mention, you can make it less sweet. I’ve got you covered if you’re looking to make your own pineapple jam from scratch here, and I promise, it’s less hassle than you might think.
  • Cake flour. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and makes a more tender pastry.
  • Corn flour or corn starch. Adding corn flour also makes the pastry more tender, and contributes to the melt-in-the-mouth factor.
  • Butter, chilled. Salted or unsalted is fine, but be sure to use chilled butter and preferably, a premium quality butter like Danish butter. Rubbing cold butter in with flour is what makes the pastry more flaky, less tough. I recommend using salted butter, as salt accentuates the buttery taste. If you use unsalted butter, be sure to add fine salt (as suggested in the recipe card).
  • Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar). Confectioner’s sugar is finely ground sugar with a little added corn starch. Unlike regular sugar, the powdered texture of confectioner’s sugar gives this pastry a fine crumb.
  • Milk powder. Milk powder adds colour and flavour to the pastry. I use full-fat milk powder.
  • Egg yolk. I use yolks from large eggs.
  • Vanilla extract. A little vanilla extract adds a lovely sweetness and warm flavour to the pastry. Try to use pure vanilla extract, wherever possible, as it has a much deeper flavour than the artificial essence.
  • Salt. Add salt if you use unsalted butter. Use fine salt, as it distributes more evenly throughout the flour mixture.
  • Yellow food colouring (optional). We eat with our eyes, after all. Adding a few drops of food colour makes for a beautiful golden pastry when baked. But don’t go overboard.
Golf ball pineapple tarts this recipe

Step-by-step: How to make pineapple tarts

Prepare the pineapple jam filling

Roll the pineapple jam into balls, each weighing 10 g. Cover loosely with clingwrap and let the jam sit in the chiller while you make the pastry dough.

Rolled pineapple jam filling for pineapple tarts

Make the shortcrust pastry dough

  • Step 1: Sift together cake flour, corn flour, confectioner’s sugar, milk powder and salt (only add salt if you’re using unsalted butter).
  • Step 2: With your fingertips, rub chilled butter cubes into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. While rubbing, keep lifting the flour well up in the bowl. This allows air in between and prevents the butter from softening too much.
  • Step 3: Add the yolks, vanilla extract and yellow food colour (optional). Tip: If you do add food colour, mix it in with the yolks before adding to the butter breadcrumbs.
  • Step 4: Start by using a fork or flexible scraper to mix in the yolks.
  • Step 5: Finish up by hand, mixing lightly until you get a soft and smooth dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
  • Step 6: Roll the dough into balls, each weighing 15 g. Then chill for 10 mins before filling.
The dry ingredients combined in a sifter placed over a large mixing bowl.
Butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized breadcrumbs.
Egg yolks and flavouringas are aded to the butter mixture.
The mixture starts to come together into a rough tart dough.
The tart dough is lightly kneaded until smooth.
The tart dough divided and shaped into small dough balls, placed on a lined baking tray.

Fill and shape golf ball pineapple tarts

  • Flatten a ball of dough between your palms. Place a ball of pineapple jam filling in the centre.
  • Enclose the jam. Gently press the pastry around to patch up places where it’s too thin or where the jam isn’t fully enclosed.
  • Gently roll the enclosed tart between your palms to smoothen and shape into a golf ball.
  • Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, spacing the tarts an inch (2-cm) apart.
The author holding a flattened dough ball.
A ball of pineapple jam filling placed in the centre of the flattened tart dough.
The tart dough is wrapped around the pineapple jam filling.
A smoothly shaped and filled pineapple tart ball.

Chill pineapple tarts before baking

  • Place the tray in the chiller for 10 to 15 minutes, before baking. Note: If you don’t have room in your chiller to put in the tray, you can place the tarts close together on a large dish plate, and chill. Once chilled, the tarts will be firm to handle and it will be easy to transfer to the baking tray.
  • Meanwhile, this would be a good time to start preheating the oven to 150°C (302°F). Have an oven rack placed in the centre of the oven.

Bake the tarts!

The filled pineapple tart balls spaced apart on a lined baking tray.
The tops of the filled pineapple tart balls are brushed with egg wash with a pastry brush.

The filled pineapple tart balls are placed in a moderately hot oven to bake.

  • Brush the tops of the tarts with egg wash. Bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Half-way through the baking time, take the tray out of the oven and brush the tarts with a second layer of egg wash.
  • Once the tops and base of the tarts have browned nicely, the tarts are done. This may take about 25 minutes, depending on your oven. Note: As the tarts bake, it is normal for cracks to appear. This is because the jam expands as it gets heated. Once the tarts cool, the cracks will shrink.
  • Let the baked tarts cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Freshly baked pineapple tarts with golden brown tops
The author holding a sliced pineapple tart ball, showing the moist pineapple jam filling enclosed in the pastry.

How to store pineapple tarts

Once completely cooled, store the pineapple tarts in an air-tight container (preferably with a few sachets of food-grade oxygen absorbers) and seal tightly. The tarts will keep well for up to 3 weeks in a cool, dry area. Please note that the tart shell will soften slightly because of the moist jam filling, but will retain a tender, melt-in-the-mouth biscuit texture.

Tip! To get the tarts crisp like fresh-baked, make sure the tarts come to room temperature and re-heat them in a warm oven (120°C/248°F) for 10 to 15 minutes. This temperature is just hot enough to remove the excess moisture and crisp up the tart shells without drying them out.

If you wish to make these tarts well ahead of time and need to keep them for longer than 2 to 3 weeks, chill the tarts in air-tight containers. When chilled, the tarts can keep well for up to 3 months.

Frequently asked questions

How many tarts will one batch of pastry dough make?

Based on a 15 g pastry dough and 12 g pineapple jam filling, this pastry dough can make about 40 large golf ball tarts.

For smaller golf ball tarts, I recommend a 10 – 12 g pastry dough and 8 – 10 g jam filling, which makes about 50 tarts.

Why do baked pineapple tarts soften with time?

No matter how crisp the tarts are fresh out of the oven, they will soften slightly with time. This is commonly the case when you have a moist filling like pineapple jam, especially if you use homemade pineapple jam.

However, the tart pastry will retain a tender, melt-in-the-mouth biscuit texture.

Unlike commercially produced pineapple paste which conform to strict production processes to ensure specific texture, moisture and consistency, homemade pineapple jam is more variable.

If your home-cooked pineapple jam has too much moisture, the tart shells will absorb some of that moisture and soften. This is generally not a problem, but if the pineapple jam filling has too much moisture (more on that below), you may run the risk of the tarts developing mould.

Here’s my top tip for crisp tarts! To get the tarts crisp like fresh-baked, make sure the tarts come to room temperature and re-heat them in a warm oven (120°C/248°F) for 10 to 15 minutes. This temperature is just hot enough to remove the excess moisture and crisp up the tart shells without drying them out.

Why did my pineapple tarts turn mouldy in storage?

Unlike commercially produced pineapple pastes which meet highly controlled formulations on texture, moisture and consistency, homemade pineapple jam is subject to more variability.

If your home-cooked pineapple jam wasn’t cooked dry enough, the tart shells will absorb some of that excess moisture and run the risk of turning mouldy.

Unfortunately, once the tarts turn mouldy, there is nothing you can do and you have to throw out the affected tarts. The good news is that you don’t need to throw out the whole batch if only a few have gone bad.

To prevent this, immediately re-heat the un-affected pineapple tarts in a moderately hot oven preheated to 120°C/248°F for 10 to 15 minutes to bake off the excess moisture.

Be aware this may not necessarily prevent the issue from happening again, as the problem has to do more with a pineapple filling that’s too moist and not the pastry dough itself.

Can I use this pastry dough for open-faced pineapple tarts or pineapple roll tarts?

This is a tender, melt-in-the-mouth tart pastry which is not quite suitable for open-faced pineapple tarts or pineapple roll tarts as it will be too soft to work with. 

Why do we need to chill the pastry dough before and after filling?

Pineapple tart pastry is a shortcrust pastry or biscuit pastry with a high fat content (from butter). As with pie pastry, chilling helps the butter in the dough firm up, allowing the filled pineapple tarts to hold their shape better during the baking process.

Also, chilling gets the butter into a nice, cold form so that it melts immediately in a hot oven. This allows the tarts to bake up flaky and crisp. Letting the dough sit at room temperature (especially in a warm environment like our tropics) for too long will cause some of the butter to melt and release water prematurely before it hits the oven.

Please note that you will need to add a few minutes of baking time when baking tarts that have had a good chill.

Why does the egg wash use oil and condensed milk?

Oil gives the tarts a glossier sheen when baked, while condensed milk renders a deeper brown due to its sugar content. However, you will not even taste the sweetness or flavour of the condensed milk.

If you prefer, you can use a simple egg wash made with 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp of water, and a few drops of yellow food colour (optional).

Hope you’ll enjoy these as much as we do! Happy baking and stay safe, everyone – ? Celia

P.s. If you tried my previous pastry dough (before this update), please let me know and I’ll be happy to send you the recipe.

Golf ball pineapple tarts made with a tender, shortcrust pastry and pineapple jam filling.

Here are more sweet treats you might enjoy:

Tried this recipe? I’d love to see! Remember to share your pics on Instagram and tag @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.

Pineapple Tarts {Golf Ball Tarts} Pinterest Image

Golden Pineapple Tarts

4.9 from 38 reviews
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chilling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 40 – 50, depending on size
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These pineapple tarts have an ultra buttery, melt-in-the-mouth pastry crumb that gives way to a sweet and tangy, delicious pineapple jam filling. The pastry comes together easily – no creaming needed!

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 500 g pineapple jam store-bought or homecooked

For the pastry dough:

  • 240 g cake flour
  • 30 g corn flour
  • 50 g confectioner’s sugar
  • 36 g milk powder preferably full-fat
  • ½ tsp fine salt omit if using salted butter
  • 200 g salted butter chilled
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Few drops of yellow food colour optional

For egg wash:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp water
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 2 tsp condensed milk

Instructions
 

Prepare the pineapple jam filling:

  • Roll the pineapple jam into balls, each weighing 10 g. Cover loosely with clingwrap and let these sit in the chiller while making the pastry dough.

Make the pastry dough:

  • Sift together cake flour, corn flour, confectioner’s sugar, milk powder and salt (omit if using salted butter). Set aside.
  • Cut the chilled butter into cubes. Place in a large mixing bowl. With your fingertips, rub butter cubes into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. While rubbing, keep lifting the flour well up in the bowl. This allows air in between and prevents the butter from softening too much.
  • Add the yolks, vanilla extract and yellow food colour (optional). Cut into the butter-flour mixture with a fork or flexible scraper. Finish up by hand, mixing lightly until the mixture comes together into a soft and smooth dough.
  • Roll the dough into balls, each weighing 15 g. Chill for 10 mins before filling.

Fill and shape the pineapple tarts:

  • Flatten a ball of dough between your palms.
  • Place a ball of pineapple jam filling in the centre. Enclose the filling, and gently roll between your palms to smoothen and shape into a golf ball tart.
  • Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, spacing the tarts an inch (2-cm) apart.
  • Place the tray in the chiller for 10 to 15 minutes, before baking. (Note: If you don’t have room in your chiller to put in a tray, you can place the tarts close together on a large dish plate, and chill. Once chilled, the tarts will be firm to handle. Transfer to the prepared baking tray, spacing them apart.)
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C (302°F).

Brush with egg wash and bake:

  • Brush the tops of the tarts with egg wash.
  • Bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Half-way through the baking time, take the tray out of the oven and brush the tarts with a second layer of egg wash.
  • Bake until the tops are golden brown, and the base of the tarts start to lightly brown, about 25 – 30 minutes. Note: Chilled tarts may take 5 mins longer. As the tarts bake, it is normal for cracks to appear. Do not be alarmed. This is due to the jam expanding outwards as it gets heated. Once the tarts cool, the cracks will shrink.
  • Let baked tarts cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to store pineapple tarts:

  • Once completely cooled, store in an air-tight container and seal tightly. The tarts will keep well for up to 3 weeks in a cool, dry area. If stored in the chiller, it will keep well for up to 3 months.

Notes

How many tarts can the pastry dough make?

Based on a 15 g pastry dough and 12 g pineapple jam filling, this pastry dough can make about 40 large golf ball tarts. For smaller golf ball tarts, I recommend a 10 – 12 g pastry dough and 8 – 10 g jam filling, which makes about 50 tarts.

Is this pastry dough suitable for open-faced pineapple tarts?

This is a tender, melt-in-the-mouth pastry which is not quite suitable for open-faced pineapple tarts as it may be too soft to work with.

Why does the egg wash use oil and condensed milk?

Oil gives the tarts a glossier sheen when baked, while condensed milk renders a deeper brown due to its sugar content. However, you will not even taste the sweetness or flavour of the condensed milk.
If you prefer, you can use a simple egg wash made with 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp of water, and a few drops of yellow food colour (optional).

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 82kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 63mg, Sugar: 3g
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Course: Pastry Recipes
Author: Celia Lim
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a review in the section below, and tag @foodelicacy on Instagram and hashtag it #foodelicacy so I can see!