My love for Pineapple Tarts and Kuih Bangkit

Lately, I have had a craving for some traditional Chinese New Year cookies such as pineapple tarts and kuih bangkit. These are about the two things I binge on during the festive season.

So now that I'm more familiar with baking and using the oven on a regular basis, I decided to embark on a baking journey on CNY cookies! Big G is the best place to learn and search for good recipes and there is always a risk in trying out a not-so-good one. The tip is to read the comments on what others had experienced and not repeat their mistakes. These days, people used Big G for anything and everything, from finding recipes to looking for payday loans!

After a long search, I found a couple of pineapple tart recipes and decided to give it a go. I bought two big ripened Queensland pineapples from Crisp on creek at $6 and started cooking the pineapple filling. I had heard from my mom that this was a tedious process. I did it anyway. Tedious can be a nice challenge. When the pineapple filling was done, I moved on to the pastry which I was most frightened of. You would only know if it is a success when it's baked and by then, you have to live with your mistakes. Know what I mean. A bit different from cooking the pineapple filling. You can adjust the moisture and end result.

To cut the story short, my first experience with pineapple tarts was a huge success! I was so happy that they turned out so well... according to DH, better than what we got from those we bought previously. I am so delighted that I won't need to order or buy any more pineapple tarts from anyone next time... it's such a nice feeling to eat your own 'masterpieces'!

I went on to try out kuih bangkit two days later. The 1st time was a flop because I used a tin of coconut cream that was reduced fat and had a fat content of only 23%. After reading many comments and doing my research, I used another recipe and lo and behold, they were perfect!

It's been two weeks since I first made these goodies and I'm on to my second batch.... What an amazing baking journey! I'm loving it!