Our first recipe

These bars were our first collaborative recipe. Frustrated at the lack of pineapple bars at a luau, we decided to create our own based on Kimberlee's memory of a luau with a more well-rounded dessert tray.

The li-hing powder is made of dried plums. We enjoyed it immensely in some margaritas, but it is also eaten with pineapple. It turned the pineapple topping a lovely shade of red!

Li-Hing Pineapple Bars

Heat oven to 350.

Crust:
1 cup of softened butter
½ cup of sugar
2 cups of flour

Stir the flour and sugar together in a large bowl. Cut the butter in as you would for a pie crust; press into bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the heat up to 400.

Filling:
3 cups of crushed or pureed pineapple
1 cup of brown sugar
2 TB of cornstarch
1 TB of lemon juice
1 tsp of li hing powder

Cook the pineapple, sugar, and cornstarch until thick and bubbly. Stir in the lemon juice and li hing powder. Pour over prebaked crust. Place the bars back in the oven for 20 minutes. They are done when the filling looks firm. Cool and cut into bars.