Pineapple Bars

I wanted to make some healthy lemon bars. So I set off to work right away. However, I quickly learned that I haven't made enough regular lemon bars in my life to make a healthy recipe...without using another recipe as a guide.

So they turned out...really bad. They kind of tasted a lot like nothing, with a really bad texture. Probably closer to quiche than to lemon bars, if you ask me. Except quiche is good.

Oh well. Gotta have some failures here and there, right? They encourage humility. Failures are good!

Plus...that particular failure helped lead me to this particular success!

Actually, the failed "lemon" bars were a lot more photogenic (just goes to show you can't judge food by it's appearance). They had a more solid consistency (like quiche) and were a bit thicker. But these pineapple bars may be gooey and floppy, but since when does gooey and floppy taste bad?

Last I checked, brownies were gooey. Those are delicious. And pancakes are floppy. Those are also delicious.

Anyway, these pineapple bars popped into mind when I saw a pineapple sitting on the counter as I was making the nasty lemon bars. I thought about the acidity of the pineapple and the bright yellow color and thought it would make a tasty bar like this! As I was making them, I realized that there's room for improvement. But maybe they'll give you an idea to kickstart some ingenious creativity.

I made a "healthy" version, so there's minimal fat and no added sugar (apart from powdered on top). And mine are fairly small. Feel free to take this where you want to! I'm sure it would also be good with the traditional lemon bar crust and a thicker, more sugary topping. 

Personally, I'll stick with mine. I can have 2 for under 150 calories! That makes them taste better in my mind :)

Healthy Pineapple Bars

yield: 8 servings

Crust:

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup flour (I used oat flour, but wheat would be good too)

1 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut 

1/4 c plain greek yogurt

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp ripe mashed banana

1/4 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Custard:

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 egg

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp flour

1/8 tsp vinegar

pinch backing powder

powdered sugar for dusting on top (about 2 tbsp)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine ingredients for crust and mix well. Smooth the crust dough into the pan so that it covers the bottom (I used a bread pan for these, because the recipe is about 1/2-1/3 the size of a normal recipe). Cook crust for 5-6 minutes.

For the custard, beat pineapple juice, egg, and vinegar. Combine cornstarch, flour, and baking powder, then add to the liquid ingredients. Beat well. When the crust is finished, pour custard mixture on top and bake for 10-15 minutes. The top will start to crack when it is ready.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. I preferred these after they chilled in the fridge for an hour or two (the textures of both the crust and the custard seemed better). Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving, since it may soak up in the custard. Enjoy!

Variations/Notes

If you'd like to change some things, here are a few recommendations!

For more of a pina-colada bar:

 -replace some (maybe 1/2) of the greek yogurt with more coconut oil, and add more coconut shreds.

For a sweeter bar:

 -add 1-2 tsp honey or sugar to the crust

 -add 2-3 tsp honey or sugar to the custard

For a thicker bar:

 -double the custard amount

 -consider adding a second egg or just a yolk