Nastar (Indonesian Pineapple-filled Cookies)

Nastar or pineapple-filled cookie is one of the classic popular cookies in Indonesia.  You will see it everywhere during Chrismast, Chinese New Year, and Eid-al-Fitr.  And for me, Eid-al-Fitr is not complete without this Nastar cookies.  It has to be there, available on every table of every person's house.

Nastar is a small cookies filled with pineapple jam and quite simple to make.  I might say that the majority of the work is on making pineapple jam.  Making pineapple jam is really time consuming. It takes few hours to cook it to the consistency where you can wrap it with the dough.  If you’re planning to make Nastar, I suggest you make the filling a day before or a week before.  You can keep the jam in refrigerator for  a few weeks or even months in the freezer.

This cookies has always been a favorite amongst my family members and usually gone very fast in the stomach because it’s so delicious.  If you’re a fan of the super crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth texture, this is the recipe for you.

Pineapple jam:

·         1 large pineapple (or  2 small pineapples) peeled and rub with some salt and then wash with clean water. Slice and blend with the blender until you get a smooth mixture

·         200g caster sugar

·         ½ tsp salt

·         5 cloves

·         1 stick cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and put them in a saucepan and let it simmer with low heat for few hours.  Stir it occasionally until you get dry and thick mixture.  Shape into small balls and place on baking paper-lined tray.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until needed.

Egg wash:

·         2 egg yolks

·         1 tsp milk

·         1 tsp honey

Mix together all ingredients in a small bow.  Make sure the honey is dissolved well and the mixture is no longer lumpy.

For  the cookies:

·         200g unsalted butter

·         250g all-purpose flour

·         60g powdered sugar

·         30g cornflour

·         20g milk powder

·         2 egg yolks

Directions:

1.       Using a whisk or spatula, mix butter, sugar, and egg yolks until soft and light.

2.       Add the dry ingredients (both flours and milk powder) and mix until  fully incorporated. If the mixture too wet, add some flour.

3.       Cover the dough and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until firm.

4.       Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line several cookie sheets with parchment.

5.       Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Make a depression in the center of each ball and fill with pineapple jam filling.  Pinch the edges of the dough back around the filling, and turn seam side down. Place on baking trays  about 2 inches apart.

6.       Bake for 15 minutes, take it out. Brush the tops of each cookie with egg wash and bake for another 15 minutes until shiny and golden.  Cool on wire racks.

Bahasa Indonesia

Selai nanas:

·         1 buah nanas ukuran besar (atau 2 buah nanas ukuran kecil)ecil dan haluskan denganmenggunakan blender.

·         200g gula pasir

·         ½ sdt garam

·         5 butir cengkeh

·         1 batang kayumanis

Masak nanas, cengkeh, dan kayumanis hingga airnya menyusut.  Masukkan gula dan garam, masak kembali hingga matang dan mengental.  Angkat dan dinginkan.  Bentuk menjadi bola-bola kecil. Tutup dengan plastic wrap dan simpan dalam lemari pendingin sampai siap digunakan.

Bahan Olesan:

·         2 kuning telur

·         1 sdt susu

·         1 sdt madu

Campur semua bahan.  Pastikan madu larut sempurna dan tidak menggumpal.

Adonan kue:

·         200g mentega tawar

·         250g tepung terigu serbaguna

·         60g gula tepung

·         30g maizena

·         20g susu bubuk

·         2 kuning telur

Cara:

1.       Dengan menggunakan whisk atau spatula, campur dan aduk mentega, gula, dan kuning telur hingga lembut.

2.       Masukkan bahan kering (terigu, maizena, dan susu bubuk) dan aduk hingga bercampur.  Jika adonan terlalu basah, tambahkan sedikit terigu. 

3.       Tutup adonan dan simpan dalam lemari pendingin selama kurang lebih 30 menit.

4.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 300 derajat F (150 derajat C).  Siapkan loyang yang telah diolesi mentega atau dialasi kertas roti.

5.       Ambil adonan dan buat bulatan dengan diameter sekitar 1 inch.  Pipihkan dan isi dengan selai nanas. Bulatkan kembali adonan sehingga selai nanas tertutup.  Letakkan di atas loyang yang telah disiapkan.

6.       Panggang selama 15 menit kemudian keluarkan.  Oles permukaan kue dengan bahan olesan dan panggang kembali selama 15 menit hingga matang.