Nastar (Indonesian Pineapple Cookies)

In Indonesian & English (the English version is below the recipe written in Indonesian)

Bahan

• 650 gr Terigu protein rendah+ekstra, 4 Kuning telur
• 100 gr Gula halus, 65 gr Maizena, 35 gr Susu bubuk
• 250 gr Margarin+250 gr Butter-dingin, ½ st Garam
• 60 gr Keju parut+ekstra, Cengkeh secukupnya-hiasan

Selai Nanas *:

• 500 gr Nanas parut, ½ st Air lemon, 200 gr Gula
• 3 Cengkeh, 1 st Garam, 1 batang Kayu manis

Bahan Olesan: Campur rata semua

• 3 Kuning telur, 2 st Susu cair, 1 st Madu

Cara membuat

• Selai nanas: Masak nanas, garam, cengkeh & kayu manis hingga mengering, tuang gula & air lemon, masak sambil terus diaduk di api kecil hingga kering. Angkat, biarkan mendingin & taruh di kukas 1 jam. Buang kayu mns & cengkeh. Basahi tangan dng sedikit air, bentuk selai dingin menjadi bola2. Susun berlapis di wadah, alasi dng plastik di antara tiap lapisan & bekukan di freezer 3-4 jam. Selai beku akan memudahkan prosedur pembentukan nastar & juga akan mempertahankan suhu adonan kue agar tetap dingin setlh proses pembungkusan dng tangan.
• Adonan kue: Campur kmd ayak terigu+maizena+susu bbk+garam, sisihkan. Ptg2 mentega kmd kocok bersama margarin & gula dng mixer kec. rendah hingga creamy. Beri telur & keju, mixer hingga menyatu saja. Mskkan campuran terigu secara bertahap, uleni sampai adonan kalis. Tutup, simpan adonan dikulkas 1 jam. Keluarkan adonan per 1/3 bagian utk dibtk, sisanya diamkan di kulkas dulu hingga siap utk dibtk. Taburi meja kerja dng sedikit terigu.
• Gilas adonan agak tipis. Cetak adonan dng cookie cutter bulat/mulut gelas. Ltkkan bola selai beku ditengah adonan, bungkus adonan membulat hingga menutup selai seluruhnya. Bila ingin membuat nastar tradisional bergagang cengkeh, biarkan bagian pantat bola2 tetap flat, gores2 sisi kue dng ujung garpu. Tancapkan 1 cengkeh di tengah atas setiap kue.
• Panaskan oven 150° C. Alasi loyang dng kertas roti. Susun kue di loyang, beri jarak ± 2½ cm diantaranya. Panggang ± 20 mnt.  Keluarkan loyang dari oven, ulas kue merata dng bhn olesan dng kuas. Bila ingin membuat nastar keju, taburi bagian atas nastar dng keju. Panggang selama ± 15 mnt (hingga kue matang & permukaannya kuning mengkilat). Keluarkan kue dari oven, biarkan hingga dingin sempurna seblm disusun dalam toples.
• * Bila menggunakan selai nanas jadi. Pilih yg selai nanasnya tdk terlalu halus (berserat). Masak 500 gr selai dng ¾ st ky manis bbk, 3 cengkeh, ½ st garam, 1 st air lemon & 3 sm air di atas api kecil sambil trs diaduk. Masak hingga cairan selai mengering.

 

Ingredients

• 650 gr low protein Flour+extra, 65 gr Cornstarch
• 35 gr Powdered milk, 60 gr grated Cheese+extra
• 250 gr Margarine+250 gr Butter-cold, ½ tsp Salt
• 4 Egg yolks, 100 gr fine Sugar, Cloves-garnishing

Pineapple Jam *:

• 500 gr grated Pineapple, 3 Cloves, 200 gr Sugar
• 1 stick Cinnamon, ½ tsp Lemon juice, 1 tsp Salt

Egg yolks wash: mix all ingredients

• 3 Egg yolks, 2 tsp Milk, 1 tsp Honey

Directions

• Pineapple Jam: Cook pineapple, salt, cloves & cinnamon until the liquid reduced; add in sugar & lemon juice. Stir constantly under low heat until the jam dries & thicken. Remove from the heat, let the jam cool down completely. Put the jam in the fridge for 1 hour. Discard cinnamon & cloves. Slightly wet your hands with water; form the cold jam into small balls. Place the balls in a container layer by layer. Add a piece of plastic sheet in between layers to separate the balls. Store them in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Later on, this frozen jam balls will make the wrapping & shaping procedure easier & quicker. When you wrap the dough with your hands, frozen balls will also prevent the butter/dough temperature from melting.
• The Dough: Sieve flour, powdered milk, salt & corn starch; set it aside. Cube butter. Beat margarine, butter & sugar with low speed mixer until it's creamy. Add in egg yolks & cheese, beat only until it combined. Put in flour mixture gradually; knead them until it's well blended. Cover & store the dough in the fridge for 1 hour. Take out 1/3 part of the dough, keep the rest in the fridge until you're finished with the first batch. Dust your working surface with some flour.
• Gently roll out the dough thinly. Cut dough with a round cookie cutter/glass surface. Place frozen jam balls in the center of round shaped dough. Wrap dough around the jam ball to cover all. If you want to make a traditional Nastar, keep the bottom side of the balls flat. Slightly press the sides of the dough with a fork tip. Put 1 clove on top of the ball.
• Preheat oven to 150° C. Place balls ~ 2½ cm apart from each other on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for ~ 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven; brush the surface with egg yolks wash. If you want to make cheese Nastar, sprinkle the top with grated cheese. Bake again for ~ 15 minutes. Remove cookie from the oven, & then let it cool down completely.
• * If you just want to use ready to buy Pineapple jam, use a jam that a bit fibrous, not too soft & too sweet. Cook 500 gr of the jam with ¾ tsp of ground cinnamon, 3 cloves, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp lemon juice & 3 tbsp of water over low heat, stir constantly until the jam dries & thicken.

I`ve got the idea about making the jam into frozen balls from my dear friend Kenneth Goh, many thanks Ken..it`s a brilliant idea!