Nastar: Indonesian pineapple cookies

I unusually wrote this recipe in English since it is dedicated especially for my friends, Richa&Jennifer. I gave these cookies, when we had a German language class in Bonn, they loved it and asked the recipe. So here it is, our late aunt's Nastar recipe, which  is typically Indonesian cookies filled with pineapple jam. Unlike other cookies, Nastar is very soft and not too crunchy. The pineapple jam inside the cookies can surprise you, as it melts on your mouth.  We enjoy this treat especially after the Ramadan fest ends. See the recepies here:

 

Ingredients:

• 450 gr butter
• 750 gr flour
• 100 gr  sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch (maizena)
• 100 gr powdered milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 sachet vanilla sugar
• 1 beaten egg yolk,  for coating/smoothing the cookies upper surfaces (optional)
• 1 cup pineapple jam  or you can make your own pineapple jam (a lot more delicious but quite time consuming): 
• Blend 1 pineaple (previously, remove the peel and the core) by using a blender until smooth.
• Put it on a sauce pan together with 2 tablespoons of sugar (if you like sweet jam, add more sugar, for 400 gr pineapple add about 200 gr sugar), about 2 cm cinnamon stick, 2 pcs of cloves (optional), a pinch of salt and 1 sachet vanilla sugar.

upper: pineapple juice (before ), lower: pineapple jam (after cooking)

• Cook it with medium heat and stir it every now and then until all water evaporates. This could take 45 minutes to hours to get  a thick mixture. When it's getting thicker, you should lower the heat and stir it well otherwise the lower part  might be burnt. Usually, not all of the pineapple jam is used. If you have some leftovers you can store it in a container for the next round or  use it for your breakfast. It can last for a couple of weeks.

Directions:

• Mix well the butter, sugar, powdered milk, egg yolks and vanilla sugar
• Gradually add the flour and corn starch to the dough, mix it by using your hand until you get a fine dough
• Take a small amount of the dough, shape it like a bowl and fill it with about 1/2 teaspoon of pineapple jam, then make it closed so that you have round/ball shape. You can create many shapes, not only simple round (ball) but also half moon-shape or pineapple shape. Round shape is easier and faster but the pineapple shape is the cutest. It can be done by using a small scissor, make several  'V' patterns on the cookies using the scissor tip.

  

  various shapes: pineapple, half moon and simple round

  
  
• Place the filled dough on a non stick baking tray (or a tray covered with baking paper), lightly brush the upper part of the cookies with beaten egg yolk for smoothing/coating (optional). Keep a distance between the cookies, so that they don't touch each other.
• Bake it in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes at 180°C until they are light brown
• Serve it with a cup of tea or coffee, you can also store them in a container, it can last for a couple of weeks.
• Happy baking!! hope you can successfully bake it.

Nastar as a gift, packed in a plastic bag