Pineapple Coconut Squares I Made It Ii

Pineapple Coconut Squares

Cosmicmother 6 years ago
~Made for May 2019's Tropical recipe challenge~

Pineapple Coconut Squares by Juliecake

This wasn't what I was expecting at all, but it turned out really delicious! At first glance I thought this would be like a lemon square, with a cookie like crust and curd like filling. But once I started making it I was wondering why there was an egg and baking powder in the crust. And then sitting the drained, crushed pineapple on the unbaked crust seemed odd to me--thinking it would make the crust soggy. But it made sense later, because the crust turned into this soft cake-like bottom-- yet still sturdy enough to hold the topping.
The coconut topping baked up just like a coconut macaroon, with a light-crisp exterior and creamy-chewy interior. However it will crumble when cut into squares. So it's not the prettiest thing to bring to a pot-luck style gathering. And I think it would be too soft to travel well. I wasn't sure how to store them either. I put them in the fridge overnight, tightly covered, and they seemed to stay the same softness. Perhaps keeping it loosely covered at room temperature would be best to let them dry out a little? I'll try that with the leftovers, if there are any after today! ;)
I thought the topping would be way too sweet with the sugar and sweetened flaked coconut but it balanced well with the unsweetened pineapple. I don't think you could lower the sugar since it's integral to the ratio of eggs for the macaroon type topping, though I think you could use unsweetened coconut. But given how much moisture it would suck up (because it's desiccated) you'd have to add some of the pineapple juice from the can or the juice of a lime would be nice too.
The family gobbled up most of these bars! So I guess they like baked pineapple and coconut treats over ambrosia salad! ;)
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LindaLMT 6 years ago said:

Another awesome photo and find of a recipe. These look delicious!

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Cosmicmother 6 years ago said:

Thanks Linda, they are super delicious! I wish I could send you a square to try, a perfect treat for any pineapple-coconut lover. :)

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DIZ3 6 years ago said:

Great photo, Cosmicmother! They look scrumptious! From the photos, my first thought was that they would be similar to a lemon bar. Glad you enjoyed them!

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mommyluvs2cook 6 years ago said:

Bri and I would LOVE these! I think they look so good. Glad your family ended up liking them, lol, sounds like you'll have to make another batch :)

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Cosmicmother 6 years ago said:

Thanks Diz!
Thanks Michelle!

They didn't last long at all! But I did manage to keep some out all day at room temp, partially covered and they didn't hold up very well. They did not dry out, but became soggy. **So best to keep them in the fridge!

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