Hawaiian Cookie Tarts

in , , , , on Tuesday, December 6, 2011



These Hawaiian Cookie Tarts are the perfect excuse for you and me to take a break from a busy day and relax and enjoy one with a steaming cup of coffee!

It’s interesting though that pineapple is neither an apple nor a pine and is not native to Hawaii as we usually think it is.   Pineapple is a native of South America and was named for its resemblance to a pine cone.  Although it was discovered 3 centuries earlier, the word “pineapple” did not appear in print until 1664.  Much later, tasting pineapple for the first time in Barbados in 1751, George Washington declared it his favorite tropical fruit.   

Then, around 1770, Captain James Cook introduced pineapple to Hawaii.  However, it wasn’t until the 1880’s that commercial cultivation began when steamships made transporting the luscious perishable fruit feasible. 

Coconut and pineapple ~ 2 of my favorite things!  These Hawaiian Cookie Tarts are down-right tropical because the flaky pastry shell is filled with a bit of pineapple preserves and a layer of gooey coconut dabbed on top of it all.  I usually only make them at Christmas time but they would be great any time!



Hawaiian Cookie Tarts

Pastry shell
Ingredients:

3 ½ cups flour
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, combine flour, 
1 cup powdered sugar and cornstarch. 
Blend well.  Add butter and vanilla.
By hand, blend until a soft dough forms. 
Shape into 1” balls.
Place 1 ball in each miniature muffin cup. Press in bottom and up sides of each cup.

Filling
Ingredients:

2 cups pineapple preserves
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups coconut
Powdered sugar

Spoon 1 teaspoon of pineapple preserves into each cup.
In small bowl, combine sugar and egg. Using fork, blend well.
Stir in coconut until well coated with egg mixture.
Spoon 1 teaspoonful coconut mixture over pineapple preserves in each cup.
Bake at 350 degrees for 23-33 minutes, until crusts are very light golden brown.
To release tarts from cups, hold muffin pan upside down on an angle over wire rack.  Using a wooden spoon, firmly tap bottom of each cup till cookie releases.
Cool completely.
Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 6 dozen.


Pam's note:  This is the tool (the top part) I use to mold the dough in the tart pan, a tart tamper:





They taste a bit like heaven, like Hawaii itself!

Mele Kalikimaka!



Be sure to enter my Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway that was posted on December 3rd!


Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!




This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 6:05 AM and is filed under , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

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