I have some family members and friends who are diabetic so I thought of making some pineapple tarts they can enjoy without feeling guilty about it or worry about side effects of sugar replacements. To do so, I replaced some sugar with prebiotic fibres to make these!
Here's a closer look at the snake on top
A peek at a bite cross-section!
My hubby with picky palate can attest that these are yummy 😋 . I made some sugar-free pineapple tarts last year with totally no sugar added at all in the jam. You can read all about it over here where I share two types of tart designs, open-faced and the golf ball. The recipe I share for this year's tarts can be applied to both types of pineapple tarts although you should handle the open-faced version with care as the pastry is rather delicate. Please read the baker's notes* at end where I explain in detail technical aspects and substitutions you can use.
What's so good about the tarts?
✅ No stevia
✅ No alcohol sugars
✅ Real sugar optional
✅ Prebiotic added for lower glycemic load, benefits to gut health & cholesterol
✅ Light, buttery, crumbly tart pastry
You may wonder does Alchemy Fibre impart any unpleasant taste. It doesn't! It tastes mildly sweet on its own without any chemical aftertaste.
I am not sponsored to share the use of Alchemy Fibre. I am sharing because it's a good product and has shown not to increase the blood sugar levels for my loved one when the pastries are eaten in moderation.
Diabetic-friendly pineapple tarts (🐍 optional)
(makes about 22-30 tarts so feel free to upsize)
Healthier Pineapple Jam*
1 large pineapple, cubed, blended & excess juice sieved out, about 475g for me
1 large apple (I used Gala for some natural sweetness and pectin), blended
20g
Alchemy fibre* (omit or replace with sugar)
30g caster sugar* (omit if you wish)
A squeeze of lemon juice (optional, add more if you prefer sour jam)
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt
Steps:
1. Reduce jam till 30% original weight over med-low heat & constant stirring (or use Thermomix). Discard cinnamon stick. This results in 1-1.5g sugar per tart if you follow my original recommendations of sugar & fibre
2. Cool completely. Refrigerate overnight uncovered for extra moisture to evaporate
3. Portion into 8-9g balls
Tart Pastry*:
45g plain flour or cake flour*
20g cornstarch or gluten-free flour*
8g full fat milk powder
8g Alchemy fibre* (may replace with icing sugar)
1/8 tsp salt
45g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
A little milk if dough is too crumbly*
Egg wash:
1 egg yolk + 7g milk
Steps:
1. Sift together flours, salt, fibre & milk powder
2. Rub in butter until breadcrumb texture
3. Add yolk. Mix until dough forms. Add milk if necessary
4. Roll to 5mm thick. Freeze for 10-15min. Preheat oven to 150C fan/165C
5. Lightly dust surface of dough with cornstarch. Stamp out pastry with mold. Place 3cm apart on lined baking tray
6. Apply egg wash. Press a ball of jam in the middle
You can make the snakes* if you wish but these are rather fiddly and tests your fine motor skills!
7. Bake for 25-30 min or until golden brown. Baking the tarts low and slow will prevent huge cracks from forming
8. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. Toast it lightly before consuming to recrisp if stored in fridge
*Baker's Notes:
🔸Alchemy Fibre is a blend of inulin & edible gum. It's a prebiotic that has beneficial effects for gut health, lowers cholesterol & reduces the glycemic load of the food it's added to. You may substitute with inulin if you don't have access to this product, or simply replace with sugar
🔸I decided to use a little sugar in the jam & not include stevia or any alcohol sugars in the whole bake to avoid any gastrointestinal side effects. You may omit the sugar if you wish. I decided to add a little real sugar to improve the jam texture. I made it totally without sugar last year & although it's nice & healthy, it's a little less jammy in texture
🔸Adding some Alchemy Fibre doesn't affect the final texture of the tart but the dough is more crumbly & less pliable so it's a little trickier to handle. Because of this, I made the snakes using dough made with icing sugar instead of Alchemy fibre but the tart base is made with the fibre added & no sugar. You may use the same dough for making golf ball type of tarts too if you don't have the plunger mold. Use 10g dough for each golf ball tart.
🔸Use plain flour instead of cake flour if you prefer a sturdier pastry. The gluten-free flour I used is from Bob's Red Mill. You may use cornstarch if you wish as it's commonly used in typical pineapple tart pastry along with wheat flour.
🔸I used black sesame seeds for the snake eyes & Goji berry skin for the tongue. Shaping done by hand, toothpick & Dresden tool. I used a pair of small sharp scissors and knife to cut the snake tongue out of Goji berry. I didn't weigh the amount of dough for the snakes but I estimate it at around 3-4g.
You may watch the video of making the tarts over here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEzUcTiSgv7/?igsh=MzYxYzhqeWFsYXlu
I guided my elder kid to make some golf ball type of tarts that didn't use Alchemy fibre (but used icing sugar in the dough and used store-bought pineapple jam) so that's where I "borrowed" a little dough from to make the snakes on top.
These were seriously good according to my kid's classmates!
with love,
Phay Shing
