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Nastar Cookies are pineapple filled shortbread style cookies. They’re sweet, flaky, and full of pineapple flavor.

I cheated on these cookies. And I paid dearly for cheating. They didn’t come out the way I hoped and it’s all due to the filling. Don’t get me wrong, they tasted delicious, but they weren’t perfectly round like all the pictures on Pinterest.

What are nastar cookies?

They’re an Indonesian cookie. It’s a pastry dough cookie that filled with a pineapple filling. It’s the pineapple filling that I cheated on. I had some pineapple coconut jam from a local vendor here in town. I thought it would be a good substitute for the traditional pineapple filling. I was so wrong.

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The pastry came together beautifully. It is light, and slightly sweet, and perfectly delicious. There’s a little powdered sugar in there, some cornstarch, and a few egg yolks to bring it all together. This makes for a perfectly delicious wrapper for the pineapple jam filling.

The pineapple jam isn’t really a jam. It’s more like a pineapple paste. You shred the pineapple and cook it until all the liquid is gone. Then you add sugar and continue to cook it until the pineapple is thick and easily shaped into balls. So, pretty thick. Therefore, my shortcut failed. Because the jam I used was not that thick. At all.

 

Where do nastar cookies come from?

Nastar is a only in Indonesia. However, this is not an Indonesian creation. It’s a Dutch creation based on a lebaran cake recipe. Lebaran is a pie made with strawberry, blueberry, or apple jam. However, these are not fruits easily found in Indonesia. Shocking, I know.

The name is actually a combination of the word pineapple, which ananas and tart. I guess there’s no Indonesian word for tart except tart. So, shortened it’s nastar. I have come to learn that Indonesians like to abbreviate words. Worse that Aussies or New Zealanders.

I play a game on my phone. And there’s a large Indonesian presence on the 2 servers I am on. I have found it’s easier to try to learn their language to speak to them then rely on the translator. The translator is not so great sometimes. Even though I sound like a 3 year old, at least I can get my point across as I continue to learn this interesting language.

When do Indonesians eat nastar cookies?

Back in the day, this cookie was mainly for nobility. However, as with all things, eventually the normal people figured out a way to enjoy these specialties, too. But don’t let that fool you. This is still a cookie served for special events like Eid (Idul Fitri) and Christmas or the Lunar New Year.

The golden color also has meaning. For Chinese descendants, the golden color and sweet filling symbolize sweet and abundant sustenance. The golden color itself symbolizes luck.

For those lucky enough to live in Asian, there’s a cookie mix specifically for these cookies! You only need to add eggs and probably the filling to make these gems. Not that there’s a ton of ingredients in these delicious cookies. It’s really the filling that takes the most time. Other than that, it’s a basic pastry recipe you could use for pie dough or hand pies.

Where does the golden color come from? After baking the cookies for 30 minutes, then you coat them with an egg yolk wash with honey. I applied two coats of the egg wash making sure to let the first one dry before I put the second one on there. Then I baked them for a little longer to make sure the egg was as dried and give it a pretty, golden color.

These don’t have to be perfectly round. Some are formed and decorated to look like pineapples. I wasn’t that creative with my nastar cookies. When I make them again, and I will make them again, they will be more decorative than these. I just wanted to try them and see how they turned out first.

 

What do nastar cookies taste like?

Don’t let the color fool you. They are not crispy at all. Nastar cookies are tender and perfectly delicious. The pastry shell is slightly sweet, tender, and perfectly delicious. The cornstarch in the recipe inhibits glute from forming. This makes the pastry dough more tender and flakier.

The powdered sugar means the outside tastes like shortbread and not just pie crust. Which it does. Taste like shortbread. But without all the crunch and texture of shortbread cookies. And the powdered sugar is just enough for a slightly sweet dough. Because the filling is perfectly sweet on its own.

I used a coconut pineapple jam for the filling. Don’t do this. The next time I make these, I will make the traditional pineapple filling. It’s not so much a jam as it is a caramelized and thickened pineapple butter. That’s the only way I can describe it. You simply cook grated pineapple until it’s thick and delicious.

And the best part is you can make the dough several days ahead of time. If you’re making the traditional pineapple filling you can make it ahead of time, too. Simple press and fill on the day you want to make them. You could even freeze the dough up to a month ahead of time. Talk about planning. In fact, I might just do that!

Thursday Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Chocolate Chip Cocoa Powder Cookies from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Coconut Cookies from Magical Ingredients
• Cranberry Orange Cookies from Devour Dinner
• Old Fashioned Iced Molasses Cookies from An Affair from the Heart
• Hot Chocolate Macarons from Jen Around the World
• Meltaway Cookies from Palatable Pastime
• Nastar Cookies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Polish Cream Cheese Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Turtle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Blogghetti