Amigurumi / Crochet Doll

I finished this doll some time ago. Just didn't get around to photographing her until now.

Meet Emily - my latest Free Spirit Crochet Doll

Posing in her rainbow dress, pink purse and pink mary janes

As with my other dolls, she is based on Beth Webber's Free Spirit Doll pattern, with some adjustments - a smaller, rounder head with Bleuette's face, eyebrows and mascara. The pattern for the head is here.

She likes pink, even has pink streaks in her hair :) The dress is my own pattern. It is made from variegated rainbow cotton yarn from Daiso. It is constructed top down with just single crochets, with a slit and buttons at the back. 

She has pink streaks in her hair

Crochet Lace Doily

I'm into crochet lace at the moment. The variety of stitches it employs makes the crafting process fun and interesting.

This is a Crochet Lace Doily that I made recently.

Crochet Lace Doily

The pattern chart for this star-centered pineapple net doily is from www.dcrochet.com

Pattern chart for star-centered pineapple net doily

Crochet Lace Doily

Crochet Lace Motif Bolero

This is my very first Crochet Lace Motif Bolero, made with Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 4-ply in Blush.

Crochet Lace Motif Bolero (Front)

Crochet Lace Motif Bolero (Back)

I wanted something light, loose and airy, ideal to wear over a tank top in hot weather, and this bolero is perfect. The BWM cotton 4-ply is great for crochet - it produces a soft, wearable fabric with a nice drape.

This site www.jessica-tromp.nl, and this page in particular, show you different ways to construct a bolero out of motifs. At first, it looked complex and intimidating, but after a closer look, I learned that motifs are just shapes - squares, rounds, triangles etc., and lace in crochet is simply a combination of chains and basic crochet stitches. The easiest version is probably Bolero Type 5, which is what I went with for my bolero.

For the motif, I found this beautiful, elegant lace motif pattern from this site.

Crochet Lace Motif Pattern

The pieces are joined-as-you-go, so there is no need for seaming or extra stitches to join the squares.

For the edging, I used this lovely, intricate pattern from Fatima Crochet.

Crochet Lace Edging

Here is a close-up view of one of my motifs.

Crochet Lace Motif Square

Two joined motif squares

Each square measures approximately 12 cm x 12 cm. The finished bolero is 36 cm wide, and 28 cm from top to bottom.

Crochet Mini Shell Tote

Crochet Mini Shoulder Tote

This bag was based loosely on Tangled Happy's Spring Inspired Boutique Bags pattern. I started out with the pattern but made quite a few changes along the way. I wanted a bag that can hold things, and be carried on the shoulder - like a mini shoulder tote. So I made it bigger, added a base, and made the strap longer.

About The Pattern

The bag is crocheted in a tube, with the bottom sewn or stitched together at the at end. The shell pattern is basically constructed from multiples of 3 stitches. That forms the basis of the foundation chain - any multiple of 3. For example, a foundation chain of 99 stitches will give you 33 shells. The length of the foundation chain will form the circumference of the bag. So if you want your bag to measure 6 inches in width, the foundation chain should be at least 12 inches.

An alternative is to crochet around the foundation chain, forming the circle right from the base, thus eliminating the need to sew. Make sure the foundation chain is the length of the desired width of the bag, not the circumference.

The instructions for Round 2 of the original pattern is especially confusing.

Rnd 2: Sl St in each dc of shell into sp between first two shells. Work Beginning Shell. {Work Shell in space between next shell.} Repeat between {} to end. Join in top of ch 3. (17 Shells)

After several attempts, I think I finally decoded it. This is what I did:

*Slip stitch in the top of ch3 (of the Beginning Shell) to join the round. Then slip stitch in the next 2 dcs (of the Beginning Shell) until you reach the space between the Beginning Shell and the next Shell. Work Beginning Shell in this space --> this is the beginning shell of the new round. Then work Shell in the space between the next 2 shells, to end* At the end of round, repeat from *.

Normally when you sl st to join stitches in the round, the "seam" is formed on the same stitch column, i.e. the sl st sits on top on the sl st of the previous round. With the method above, the "seam" is more diagonal than straight as the stitches for the new round starts at the space between the first 2 shells rather than directly above the first shell.

For the base, I simply made an oblong piece of single crochets, and sc it to the bottom of the body piece.

Added an oblong-shaped base

Shell stitches

About The Yarn
The yarn I used for this bag is Bendigo Woollen Mills Harmony in Carnation which is a cotton-wool-lycra blend. I had knitted up a top/vest with it, but frogged the whole thing soon after because I didn't like it and would never wear it. The knitted fabric was very thick and heavy, and felt rough on the skin. It didn't have the squishiness of wool nor the smoothness of cotton. Instincts led me to try Harmony on a this bag, and I loved the result! For me, this yarn is perfect for making crochet bags because it produces a thick, sturdy fabric that is essential for bags.

Love the bag!

From the foundation chain of 99 stitches (33 shells around), my bag measures approximately 9.5 inches wide and 8 inches from the bottom to the top center point (excluding the strap).

Chinese New Year Fondant Cupcakes

I made these marshmallow fondant cupcakes last year, for Chinese New Year 2014.

Chinese New Year cupdakes with homemade marshmallow fondant

The cupcakes were dark chocolate cupcakes, recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker's Dark Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe.

Dark Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients
113gm unsalted butter
2 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Method

1. Preheat oven. See below for temperature and oven setting.
2. Melt butter, chocolate and cocoa powder over simmering water. Then cool to warm-to-touch.
3. While waiting for chocolate mixture to cool, sift flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Mix to combine.
4. Beat the eggs with electric mixer. Add sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix till fully combined.
5. Take the egg mixture off the mixer stand. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture. Mix with a spatula or spoon till combined.
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix to combine.
7. Add sour cream, mix to combine. It's easier to blend in the sour cream at this stage while the mixture is still quite thin.
8. Add remaining flour mixture, mix to combine.
9. Divide batter into cupcake casings, filling each one 1/2 full, and bake.

For regular-sized cupcakes, bake at 140°C for 18-20 minutes. The recipe yields 12 regular-sized cupcakes.

For mini cupcakes, bake at a slightly lower temperature, 130-135°C for 18 minutes. The recipe yields 24 mini cupcakes.

Oven Setting
It's important to bake cupcakes using the top and bottom heating element of the oven, instead of fan-assisted convection, and bake them in the middle rack in a single tray or layer. I've learned that using fan-assisted convection could result in cupcakes with lopsided dome tops (caused by the wind from the fan before the cupcakes fully set).

Homemade marshmallow fondant cupcakes

The cupcakes were then frosted with a thin layer of chocolate ganache, before decorated with my homemade marshmallow fondant toppers.

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Don't like the taste of store-bought fondant icing? You can make your own, with just a few inexpensive ingredients. Homemade fondant tastes much better, and if you're making it for kids, you can rest assured of the ingredients that go into it and its freshness.

Making fondant at home is not hard but the process can be tedious, and daunting if you've never made it before. You will need 30 minutes to 1 hour. There will be plenty to clean up afterwards too :)

This recipe is marshmallow fondant or fondant icing made from marshmallows. It produces a very small batch, just enough to fit into a 17.7cm x 20.3cm zip lock bag. I adapted the recipe from Rhonda's Ultimate MMF on CakeCentral.

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant Recipe (Small Batch)

Ingredients
250 gm white marshmallows
1 tbs water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
3-4 cups sifted icing sugar, adjust as needed to get desired consistency
Vegetable shortening (for greasing)

If using large marshmallows, you can optionally cut them up into smaller pieces. This helps them melt faster and more uniformly.

You can optionally add extracts to flavour the fondant, like vanilla or almond extracts. If using, be sure to use clear extracts so as to not taint the colour.

Method

1. Grease everything that will come into contact with the marshmallow, with shortening, e.g. pot, bowl, spatula, counter top, hands etc. Tip: Use paper towels to grease the utensils to avoid greasy hands in the early stage.
2. Put the marshmallows in large bowl, pour in 1 tablespoon of water and microwave for 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Or, use a stove top double boiler like I did - put the marshmallows in the double boiler with 1 tablespoon of water. 
3. Heat and stir until completely melted. The mixture should look and feel very, very thick and sticky, almost difficult to stir, but completely melted with no lumps.
4. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and salt.
5. Sift icing sugar on greased counter top, make a well in the center and pour the melted marshmallow onto the sugar. 
6. Mix and knead, add more sugar and rub on more shortening as needed, to form a dough. Be careful as the melted marshmallow will be hot initially.

The dough should feel soft but pliable, smooth and shiny. Here's a youtube video that shows the 'rightness' - when you pull it, it should stretch a little before breaking off.

Steps with Pictures

1. Using paper towels, grease the tools, utensils and work counter (where you will be kneading the fondant) with shortening.

2. Put the marshmallows in the double boiler with 1 tablespoon of water.

Put the marshmallows in the double boiler with 1 tablespoon of water

3. Heat and stir until COMPLETELY melted. It should look and feel very, very thick and sticky, almost difficult to stir, but completely melted with no lumps.

Heat the marshmallows and stir until completely melted

4. Turn off the heat. Mix in salt and lemon juice.

Off heat, mix in salt and lemon juice

5. Grease your hands with shortening. Pour the melted marshmallow onto sifted icing sugar, and mix. Be care when it's still hot.

Mix the melted marshmallow with sifted icing sugar

6. Knead, add more sugar and rub on more shortening until you get a pliable dough.

Homemade marshmallow fondant

Colouring Fondant

Divide the fondant into portions to be coloured. It is best to use gel food colouring, like Americolor Gel Paste. Liquid colouring will affect the consistency of the fondant. The colour will deepen over time, so add the colour sparingly and a little at a time. Use a toothpick to dab on the colour, and knead until it is completed blended and even.

Dab on gel colour with a toothpick and knead till blended.

Storing Fondant

Fondant can be left at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or 4 weeks in the refrigerator if wrapped and stored properly. Coat the fondant with a thin layer of shortening and wrap it securely with cling wrap. Then put in a zip lock bag and store in an airtight container.

Wrap with cling wrap, put in zip lock bag and store in airtight container

Cleaning Up

Marshmallow is made mostly of sugar, which dissolves in water. So the marshmallow bits are easy to clean. Soak the utensils for a few minutes and the stuff comes right off. The shortening though, is a nightmare to clean. It takes a lot of of dish detergent and repeated washings to get that stuff off. 

Using Fondant

When ready to use, unwrap the fondant and knead until it becomes pliable again, or microwave it for 2 to 5 seconds, depending on the amount. Grease your hands, work top and all your fondant shaping tools with shortening. Then roll out, cut out, shape, etc. as needed.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Ganache is simply melted chocolate and cream. It can be made with different types of chocolate - dark, white, semi-sweet, bittersweet, milk etc. It is very easy to make, and you can get different 'products' out of the simple mixture. Basically, the cream is heated and then poured over the chocolate. The mixture is then left to infuse, and then gently mixed into a smooth, velvety, thin chocolate sauce. If you let it cool for a few hours in the refrigerator, the mixture thickens into a beautiful spreadable or piping consistency, like peanut butter. It can also be whipped up into a lovely soft mousse. There are many variations and there is no "right" consistency; use what works for you.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Ingredients
Chopped Dark / Semi-sweet / Bittersweet / White / Milk / Any Chocolate
Whipping cream

For dark chocolate ganache, use 2:1 ratio, that is, 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream. E.g. if using 8 oz chocolate, use 4 fl. oz cream.

For white chocolate ganache, use 3:1 ratio, and for milk chocolate, somewhere between the two.

You can use chocolate chips or buttons or bar. If using the bar, chop it up finely - easier for the chocolate to melt. The whipping cream must be in liquid, unwhipped form, not the ready-whipped stuff that comes in a canister.

Method

1. Put the cream in a saucepan, and the chocolate in a bowl.
2. Heat the cream until just boil.
3. Turn off heat, and pour the hot cream onto the chocolate.
4. Let it sit for 5 minutes to melt and infuse.
5. Stir gently until the chocolate is completed melted, no lumps and the mixture is combined.

Chocolate ganache, after 3 hours in the fridge

Bendigo Woollen Mills and Yarn Prices

My order of yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills arrived in the mail today.

Yarns from Bendigo Woollen Mills

A few weeks ago, I came across Herrschners online store. They have a fantastic selection at very low prices - Red Heart, Bernat, Caron etc. But, as I learned, their international shipping cost (at least to Malaysia) is exorbitant, costing more than the yarn itself!

For example, at Herrschners, a 197gm/389m ball of Bernat Super Value acrylic yarn costs US$3.50, which is about 13 ringgit. Compare this with the local Minlon acrylic yarn which costs 2 ringgit for a ball of 40gm - for roughly 200gm of yarn, the Bernat costs only 3 ringgit more than the Minlon. Now, add international shipping which costs US$3.95 (for the single ball of Bernat above). That effectively makes the Bernat 3 times more expensive than the Minlon. For me, it's just not worth it, especially when it comes to acrylic yarn. I have checked out other online yarn stores as well, and so far have yet to find one that offers reasonable prices after factoring in international shipping :(

Except for, and which is why I always go back to, Bendigo Woollen Mills because their yarns, so far in my experience, offer the best value for money. BMW is an Australian yarn mill, located north of Melbourne. Their prices are low because you buy straight from the factory. Their yarns are soft and beautiful, and mostly natural fibers like wool and wool blends. From my experience, their shipping cost to Malaysia is usually about 40-50% of the total order.

For example, my latest order of 5 x 200gm balls is about AU$54, and shipping cost is AU$27, which works out to be about AU$16 (or 45 ringgit) per 200gm ball. Imported wool yarn from local craft stores typically retails at 25-35 ringgit per 50gm ball. So gram for gram, BMW costs half the price of those imported brands. Great value for money if you ask me!

RYC Cashsoft Baby DK (50g) and Bendigo Woollen Mills Bloom (200g)

Bendigo Woollen Mills is a great place to source for wool and wool-blend yarns. However, I do find that they tend to have a rather limited range of colours. They also change/update their stock every so often. So make sure to buy enough for your projects lest the yarn line or colour be discontinued.

Another Crochet / Amigurumi Doll

 I made another doll based on Beth Webber's Free Spirit Doll pattern.

Free Spirit Amigurumi Doll

I love the Free Spirit Doll pattern. It is easy to follow, and the doll can be done pretty quickly. With her thin long limbs, she can wear clothes without looking bulky. Here, she's wearing a long sleeved tunic and flare pants, patterns adapated from By Hook By Hand. The shoes are adapted from Bleuette's Mary Jane shoes. The Daisy sling tote bag is my own design.

The body is crocheted with Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8 ply in Cream. This wool is so soft and luxurious that I felt bad using it on a doll but I had it in my stash and it does make a beautiful doll. The hair is made from Ice Yarns Alpaca Merino. Not my favourite yarn for doll hair. It is rough and "sticky" - the strands like to stick together, it takes forever to style and seconds to mess up!

The parts of a doll that I always take a long time with are the head and face and oh, the hair. But these are also the most gratifying parts, for they give the doll character and bring it to life. For this doll, I made a slightly smaller and rounder head. I followed Bleuette's face and added eyebrows and more definition/mascara to the eyes :)

Free Spirit Amigurumi Doll, with rounder head, eyebrows and mascara

Crochet Doll Head Pattern

Rnd 1. Magic ring 6 sts
Rnd 2. Inc 6 sts evenly to 12 sts
Rnd 3. Inc 6 sts evenly to 18 sts
Rnd 4. Inc 6 sts evenly to 24 sts
Rnd 5. Inc 6 sts evenly to 30 sts
Rnd 6. Inc 3 sts evenly to 33 sts
Rnd 7. Inc 3 sts evenly to 36 sts
Rnd 8-15. Work evenly 36 sts
Rnd 16. Dec 3 sts evenly to 33 sts
Rnd 17. Dec 3 sts evenly to 30 sts
Rnd 18. Dec 3 sts evenly to 27 sts
Rnd 19. Dec 9 sts evenly to 18 sts
Rnd 20. Dec 9 sts evenly to 9 sts

I didn't have any wooden spool but I did have dowels. So I made the neck about 3/4 inch long with a dowel in it. Then I inserted the neck into the bottom head opening and sewed them together.

Going for a car ride with Amy!

Peanut Cookies Recipe

Peanut cookies is a Chinese New Year tradition in my family. We make them every year. They are sweet, nutty and aromatic, and insanely easy to make. The recipe is very simple, with just 4 inexpensive ingredients - flour, sugar, ground roasted peanuts and vegetable oil. But the process of making them can be long and tedious.

Peanut Cookies for Chinese New Year

This is my mother-in-law's recipe. She has been making them for decades and every time, they are just as delectable. By the way, my mother-in-law never weighs the ingredients :) She goes by the ratio of 1:1:3/4, that is, equal portions of ground roasted peanuts and flour, with the portion for sugar reduced to taste. There is no measurement for oil either. Oil is added a little at a time, and mixed until a dry dough forms and tiny balls can be shaped without crumbling.

Making Chinese New Year Peanut Cookies

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, ground roasted peanuts and sugar) together in a big bowl.

Mix flour, ground peanuts and sugar together

Add the oil, a little at a time.

Add oil, a little at a time

Mix until a dry dough forms. To test, take about a teaspoonful of dough and shape into a ball. If it crumbles easily, it's too dry - add more oil. If it holds together, it's good.

The dough - not too wet/oily, not too crumbly

Now the labour begins... Take a small portion of dough, shape into a bite-sized ball and place on prepared baking tray.

Place dough balls on baking tray - 80 pieces per tray

We use the bamboo cap of the chinese calligraphy brush to make the circle mark on the cookies.

Make the traditional/signature circle mark on the cookies

Give it an egg wash and it's ready to go into the oven. We prefer to use the calligraphy brush (new and cleaned, of course) for the egg wash as it is softer. We find the normal pastry brush too hard and tend to break the cookie.

Egg wash

Bake at 170°C for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Bake till golden brown

Chinese New Year Peanut Cookies Recipe

Ingredients
1 kg sifted all-purpose flour
1 kg ground roasted peanuts
700 gm sifted icing sugar, adjust to taste
Vegetable or peanut oil (cooking oil like Helang, Buruh, Neptune are all suitable)

Egg wash: 9 egg yolks

Makes about 500+ bite-sized pieces

Method

1. Oil the baking tray, or line with non-stick baking paper.
2. Mix the flour, ground roasted peanuts and icing sugar in a large bowl.
3. Pour the vegetable oil, a little at a time, in the flour mixture. Mix till a dry dough forms.
4. Shape into small balls and place on the baking tray.
5. Make the circle mark on the balls.
6. Brush generously with egg wash.
7. Bake at 170°C for 12 minutes.

Notes:

• You can use store-bought ground roasted peanuts, or do like we do - buy, roast and grind the peanuts ourselves. 
• Both icing sugar and granulated sugar can be used. If using icing sugar, be sure to sift first to avoid lumps.
• Don't add too much oil, even if the dough initially appears dry or crumbly. The oil will combine with the flour the longer the dough sits. You can let the dough rest for a while if you prefer.
• Personally I find the egg-yolk-only egg wash a little too thick and difficult to work with. I usually prefer egg yolk thinned with a little milk. It's easier to work with and gives a nice sheen. But MIL says egg yolk only :)
• The cookies tend to stick to the tray/baking paper if any egg wash drip onto it. So avoid brushing with too much egg wash. 
• You can make as much or as little as you like Just follow the 1:1:3/4 ratio guideline, e.g. 1 bowl of flour + 1 bowl of ground roasted peanuts + less than 1 bowl of sugar. Each ingredient can be adjusted to one's liking, i.e. more nuts for a nuttier flavour, more flour for a firmer cookie. Other variations include using butter or margarine, coarsely ground roasted peanuts, very finely ground roasted peanuts and so on. 

Enclosed Pineapple Tarts

With the pineapple jam/filling done and ready, it was time to make the pineapple tarts. I went with the enclosed version because I didn't have the piping mould for the rolled version, nor the cutter for the open-faced flower version.

Enclosed Pineapple Tarts

Since there was enough jam, I decided to try and test 2 different recipes for the pastry.

The first recipe that I chose was from Nasi Lemak Lover. Her recipe is touted and cited by many as the best melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tart recipe. I halved the original recipe and got about 36 pieces the size of Penang Tau Sar Pneah. This recipe uses a LOT of butter. For 36 pieces, I used three quarters of a 227 gm block of butter. It called for sweetened condensed milk for sweetness but no additional sugar, and the dough was soft and easy to handle. The baked tarts were very buttery... in fact, the aroma of butter was so strong that I worried that some may find it overwhelming. The pastry was firm, crumbly to the bite but not in the hands. It tasted buttery and quite bland on its own but when paired with the sweet-sour taste of the pineapple jam, the tart was delicious! I also find that they tasted better after a day, when the pastry has had time to soften.

The second recipe was from Table for 2... or more by WendyinKK. I couldn't resist this recipe because the pastry has cream cheese in it... must be good, right?! Again, I halved the original recipe and this time I made them smaller - bite-sized pieces, and got about 80 pieces. More to share :) Oh my, this recipe contains a LOT of fat - it uses less butter then NLL's but only to be replaced with cream cheese and heavy cream. This is not for weight conscious people! The dough was very, very soft and oily, which made it easy to shape around the jam ball but required quick and gentle handling to avoid a mess of dough and jam. The baked tarts gave out a milder aroma of butter but still very fragrant. The pastry was softer and more crumbly than NLL's, and slightly tastier. Other than that, I thought both recipes were very close in terms of taste, texture and flavour.

Pineapple Tarts - Tau Sar Pneah size vs. bite size

Choosing the perfect pineapple tart recipe is really a matter of personal preference. While these 2 recipes yielded aromatic and delicious tarts, I wouldn't use them if I were making tarts for someone who dislike the smell and taste of butter. NLL actually stated on her page that she used a butter blend instead of pure butter so as to not let the butter overwhelm the pineapple. I've tasted homemade pineapple tarts with pastry made with margarine, and they were equally good. Having said that, if you do love butter, as I do, you will love these 2 recipes. What I think will make or break your pineapple tart is the JAM. I know it's been said a million times but it is worth saying again - the homemade jam is superior. You just don't get the purity of taste and flavour with store-bought jam.

Enclosed Pineapple Tarts: Recipe 1

Adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover.
I halved the original recipe and got about 36 pieces the size of Penang Tau Sar Pneah.

Pastry
175 gm butter
50 gm sweetened condensed milk
255 gm all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk

Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp milk

Filling
About 350gm pineapple jam (homemade pineapple jam recipe here)

Making the Pastry

1. Cream butter and condensed milk until light.
2. Add in egg yolk and mix till combined.
3. Add in flour and mix till a soft dough forms. Don't overmix the dough.

Next, gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill while working on the jam. 

Making/Assembling the Tarts

To ensure all the tarts are consistent in size, I use measuring spoons - a tablespoon of dough with a teaspoon of jam. 

1 tart = 1 tablespoon of dough + 1 teaspoon of jam

Firstly, while the dough is chilling in the fridge, roll the jam into balls, a teaspoon each.

Measure the amount of jam with a teaspoon

Drop and roll into a ball

Next, using the same measuring technique for the dough:

• Roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball
• Flatten the dough ball into a disc
• Place a jam ball on dough disc
• Wrap the dough around the jam
• Make a gentle, final roll to even the shape and place it on the baking tray
• Score lines on the top to make them more attractive and pineapple-like

Ready for egg wash

Score lines to make them more pineapple-like

Finally, give the tarts an egg wash and they are ready to go into the oven. Bake at 160-170C for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Baked pineapple tarts

Pure pineapple and pastry that melt in the mouth - delicious!

Enclosed Pineapple Tarts: Recipe 2

Adapted from Table for 2... or more by WendyinKK.
I halved the original recipe and got about 80 mini bite-sized pieces.

Pastry
125 gm salted butter
2 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cream cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 egg yolks (keep the remaining 1/2 for the egg wash)
200 gm all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour

Egg wash: 1/2 egg yolk + 1/2 tsp milk

Filling
About 350gm pineapple jam (homemade pineapple jam recipe here)

Making the Pastry

1. Sift the flour and corn flour together.
2. Cream butter, sugar and cream cheese together until light.
3. Add in heavy cream and beat for 10 minutes.
4. Add in the flour and mix till a soft dough forms. Don't overmix the dough.

Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill while working on the jam.

As with Recipe 1, I use measuring spoons to ensure a consistent size. To make the mini tarts, I use a teaspoon of dough with a 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

1 mini tart = 1 teaspoon of dough + 1/2 teaspoon of jam

The method for wrapping/assembling the tarts is the same as above, for Recipe 1.

Baked mini pineapple tarts