Indonesian Pineapple Tarts (Nastar)
This post may contain affiliate links.These Indonesian pineapple tarts (nastar) are soft, buttery cookies filled with sweet pineapple jam. Small, round, and beautifully golden, they’re a classic treat often served during holidays and celebrations.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
🏷️ Recipe Name: Indonesian Pineapple Tarts
⏱️ Ready In: ~ 1 hour 35 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 70 pieces
🔥 Calories: 46 kcal (per serving)
🧾 Main Ingredients: Cake flour, milk powder, egg yolks, pineapple filling, and cheese.
🥗 Dietary Info: Halal
🧠 Difficulty: Easy, very simple steps.
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Pineapple tarts have always been part of my childhood memories. Growing up, I often watched my mom and my aunt baking trays of these little cookies together, filling the kitchen with the warm aroma of buttery dough and sweet pineapple jam. Known as nastar in Indonesia, these small round cookies are brushed with egg wash until glossy and golden, with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a fragrant pineapple filling inside.
Although pineapple tarts are sometimes compared to Taiwanese pineapple cake, the Indonesian version has its own charm. Nastar are smaller and round, with a delicate buttery crumb that almost dissolves when you bite into them. The secret to great pineapple tarts is a thick, flavorful filling, just like the one I make in my homemade pineapple filling recipe, which gives these cookies their signature sweet-tangy balance.
During festive seasons like Chinese New Year, Eid, Christmas, or family celebrations, pineapple tarts are always part of the cookie spread in many Indonesian homes. They’re often served alongside other classic treats such as Indonesian cat tongue cookies or lidah kucing, coffee bean cookies, and custard cookies, making the cookie table feel extra special. Even today, every time I bake these pineapple cookies, the familiar aroma instantly takes me back to those childhood moments in the kitchen.
Looking for more ideas? Explore this collection of authentic Asian food recipes with a variety of dishes and treats you can try at home.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Unsalted butter and margarine – Butter gives nastar their rich flavor and tender crumb. For the best texture and shape, I like to combine unsalted butter with a small amount of margarine (about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total fat). This helps the cookies hold their shape better during baking while still keeping that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Use good-quality butter for the best flavor. I personally use Dutch Wijsman butter, which gives these pineapple tarts a wonderful buttery aroma.
Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar helps create a softer, more delicate cookie compared to granulated sugar. It blends easily into the dough and contributes to the classic melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps create the signature delicate crumb of nastar. It makes the cookies softer and more tender.
Cake flour – Cake flour works better than all-purpose flour for pineapple tarts. Its lower protein content creates a softer, more delicate cookie texture while still providing enough structure to hold the filling.
Pineapple filling – The pineapple filling should be thick, fairly dry, and easy to roll into small balls. It should not feel wet or overly sticky. If the filling contains too much moisture, the pineapple tarts may crack during baking. I recommend using my homemade pineapple filling recipe, which cooks the pineapple until it becomes fragrant, caramelized, and perfectly thick.
Egg wash ingredients – The egg wash is what gives nastar their signature beautiful golden shine.
How to Make Pineapple Tarts
STEP 1. Prepare the dough. Soften the butter with a whisk or hand mixer for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy (Image 1). Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk (Image 2), then mix for another 30 seconds until combined.
Sift the powdered sugar, cake flour, and cornstarch into the butter mixture (Image 3). Gently fold everything together with a spatula until the dough is evenly combined (Image 4).
STEP 2. Shape the pineapple cookies. The dough should be soft, smooth, and easy to shape (Image 5). Roll the pineapple filling and dough into small balls: 5 g for the filling and 8 g for the dough (Image 6).
Flatten one piece of dough gently with your hand. Use a toothpick to place the pineapple filling in the center of the flattened dough (Image 7). Wrap the dough around the filling, seal it completely, and roll it into a smooth ball (Image 8).
STEP 3. Prepare the egg wash. Place the shaped dough balls onto a lined baking tray, leaving some space between each cookie (Image 9).
To make the egg wash, mix the egg yolks with condensed milk and oil (I like using coconut oil) (Image 10). Strain the mixture to remove any lumps so you get a smooth egg wash (Image 11).
Using a soft nylon brush, lightly brush the surface of the cookies with the egg wash (Image 12).
STEP 4. Bake the pineapple tarts. Bake the cookies without egg wash first in a preheated oven at 140°C (285°F) for 15 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. Once cooled, brush the cookies with egg wash. After finishing one round, repeat the brushing process starting again from the first tray to create an even glossy layer (Images 14, 15).
Return the cookies to the oven and bake again at 140°C for 20 minutes until golden.
When the cookies come out of the oven, gently brush the tops once more with a clean brush. This final step gives the cookies their beautiful glossy shine (Image 16). Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight jar. Enjoy your buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pineapple tarts!
Pro Tips
- Use thick pineapple filling – The filling should be thick and easy to roll into balls, not wet or sticky. Watery filling can cause the dough to crack during baking.
- Cool before applying egg wash – Let the cookies cool completely after the first bake before brushing with egg wash to keep the surface smooth.
- Strain the egg wash – Straining removes lumps so the egg wash goes on smoothly and creates a polished finish.
- Brush two thin layers – Apply the egg wash lightly in two thin coats rather than one thick layer for even color and shine.
- Do the final brush – After baking, gently brush the tops with a clean brush to enhance the glossy finish.
- Honey works too – You can substitute the condensed milk in the egg wash with honey for a similar golden shine.
Serving Suggestions
Pineapple tarts, or nastar, are a classic treat often served during festive celebrations such as Idul Fitri, Christmas, and Chinese New Year. After enjoying rich and flavorful dishes like beef rendang, chicken curry, or ayam balado, these small buttery tarts make the perfect sweet bite to end the meal.
During these holidays, many Indonesian households prepare a table filled with jars of traditional cookies for guests to enjoy while chatting and visiting. Alongside pineapple tarts, you’ll often find other favorites such as cheese cookies, and beautiful layered cakes like lapis legit or lapis Surabaya.
Because of their delicate texture and festive look, pineapple tarts are also a popular homemade gift during the holiday season. Packed in decorative jars or gift boxes, these little golden cookies make a thoughtful treat to share with family, friends, and neighbors.
FAQs about Pineapple Tarts
Nastar usually crack when the oven temperature is too high, the cookies bake for too long, or the dough contains too much flour. High heat causes the outside of the dough to set too quickly while the inside is still expanding, which creates cracks on the surface.
Baking the cookies briefly before applying egg wash helps the dough set and firm up first. This technique prevents the egg wash from soaking into the dough and helps create a smoother, more even surface for the final glossy finish.
Straining the egg wash removes small bits of egg white or thick yolk that can create streaks on the surface of the cookies. A smooth egg wash gives pineapple tarts their signature shiny and polished look.
The glossy finish comes from brushing the cookies with two thin layers of egg wash and baking them again. After baking, gently brush the tops with a clean dry brush. This final step smooths the surface and enhances the shine.
Pineapple tarts can become moldy if the pineapple filling contains too much moisture. Wet filling can seep into the dough and create a damp environment where mold develops. To prevent this, make sure the filling is thick, fairly dry, and easy to roll into balls. Also allow the tarts to cool completely before storing them in airtight jars, as trapped heat or moisture can shorten their shelf life.
Storage
Once the pineapple tarts have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container or jar. They can stay fresh at room temperature for up to 1 month. For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator where they can last up to 3 months.
Pineapple Tarts (Nastar)
Ingredients
- 200 gr unsalted butter mix 25% with margarine
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolk
- 30 gr powdered sugar
- 50 gr milk powder
- 40 gr cornstarch
- 200 gr cake flour
Egg Wash
- 4 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp condensed milk
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Soften the butter with a whisk or hand mixer for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk, then mix for another 30 seconds until combined.
- Sift the powdered sugar, cake flour, and cornstarch into the butter mixture. Gently fold everything together with a spatula until the dough is evenly combined.
- The dough should be soft, smooth, and easy to shape. Roll the pineapple filling and dough into small balls—5 g for the filling and 8 g for the dough.
- Flatten one piece of dough gently with your hand. Use a toothpick to place the pineapple filling in the center of the flattened dough. Wrap the dough around the filling, seal it completely, and roll it into a smooth ball.
- Place the shaped dough balls onto a lined baking tray, leaving some space between each cookie.
- To make the egg wash, mix the egg yolks with condensed milk and oil (I like using coconut oil). Strain the mixture to remove any lumps so you get a smooth egg wash. Set aside.
- Bake the cookies without egg wash first in a preheated oven at 140°C (285°F) for 15 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. Once cooled, brush the cookies with egg wash. After finishing one round, repeat the brushing process starting again from the first tray to create an even glossy layer.
- Return the cookies to the oven and bake again at 140°C for 20 minutes until golden.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, gently brush the tops once more with a clean brush. This final step gives the pineapple tarts their beautiful glossy shine.
- Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight jar. Enjoy your buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pineapple tarts!
Notes
- Use thick pineapple filling – The filling should be thick and easy to roll into balls, not wet or sticky. Watery filling can cause the dough to crack during baking.
- Cool before applying egg wash – Let the cookies cool completely after the first bake before brushing with egg wash to keep the surface smooth.
- Strain the egg wash – Straining removes lumps so the egg wash goes on smoothly and creates a polished finish.
- Brush two thin layers – Apply the egg wash lightly in two thin coats rather than one thick layer for even color and shine.
- Do the final brush – After baking, gently brush the tops with a clean brush to enhance the glossy finish.
- Honey works too – You can substitute the condensed milk in the egg wash with honey for a similar golden shine.
These buttery pineapple tarts (nastar) have a melt-in-your-mouth texture with sweet, fragrant pineapple filling inside. A festive cookie that’s always a favorite during holidays and family gatherings.