Pineapple Pecan Bars

I don’t bake a lot with pineapple, and that’s really a shame! I don’t really live in an area where I get fresh pineapple very frequently, but I sure do love pineapple! There is nothing better than fresh pineapple. Perhaps I should go to Hawaii where it is more common? I’ve been to Hawaii once, but any change of scenery right now sounds just perfect. I’m hopeful that at some point it will be less stressful to travel.

These bars are not complex, and the only ingredient that I needed to purchase was the crushed pineapple. Some fruits don’t do as well being canned, but I have hardly ever used a different form of pineapple. I also had wanted to use sliced almonds instead of pecans, but I must have used up all of my sliced almonds in other things. The pecans were nice, and I think most any type of nut you have on hand would work.

The bars that I made were quite messy, and I did some thinking to figure out why. I think that I didn’t drain the pineapple sufficiently, which made for a filling that was soft. I knew I had to drain the pineapple as some of the juice went into the glaze, but I think the pineapple wasn’t drained enough. I did refrigerate these bars to cool them, but no amount of refrigeration will make the filling be anything but messy. Sometimes a messy cookie is ok, and these are so tasty that I feel the taste overcomes the messiness.

Pineapple Pecan Bars
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup flour

2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
½ cup pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and flour and stir until the mixture comes together. Press into an even layer in the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Allow the crust to cool slightly while you make the filling.

Make the filling: in a large mixer bowl, beat the eggs until uniform. Add the brown sugar, pineapple, pecans, flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until the mixture comes together. Pour over the slightly cooled crust.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the bars are set, and the bars have little movement when the pan is shaken. Cool for one hour.

In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and enough pineapple juice to make a smooth consistency. Pour the glaze over the partially cooled bars and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate the bars before cutting.

Recipe from This Delicious House