Pineapple Right Side Up Bars: What's Baking?

     This month the What's Baking? challenge is being hosted by Dani from Cloud 8 1/2.   Dani challenged us to make a family favorite for September.  There are so many delicious desserts that I make for my family so it was hard to choose just one.  After a lot of thinking I came up with my Pineapple Bars.

      I’ve been making these pineapple bars for years. In fact I had to do a little research to find out where I got this recipe from because I couldn’t remember. Turns out I got it from one of the “recipe” mystery books that I love reading. This particular cookie bar comes from The Fudge Cupcake Murder (a Hannah Swenson mystery) by Joanne Fluke. These mysteries are about a bakery owner named Hannah and each book has about a dozen recipes in the back of the book.

      Enough about the books, back to the important things: The cookies. These have always been one of my favorite bar cookies. While recently looking through my blog I realized I’ve never written about these fabulous cookies before! It was hard to believe since I’ve made them numerous times and they've been included in numerous family events.

     The bars start with a sugar cookie crust. On top of the crust is a sweet, pineapple custard like topping. It is a sweet bar with a crisp crust and is sprinkled with powdered sugar. These cookies are best eaten the day they are baked but are good for up to three days after baking.

Pineapple Right Side Up Cookie Bars (adapted from The Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke)

2 c. flour
1 ½ stick butter ( ¾ cup)
¼ c. applesauce
½ c. sugar

3 eggs, beaten

¾ c. sugar
½ c. pineapple juice
½ c. crushed pineapple
1 t. baking powder

4 T. flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Cream together the butter, applesauce, and sugar. Mix in the flour. Spread the mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, mix the eggs with the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add in pineapple and pineapple juice and stir well.

4. Combine baking powder and flour in a bowl and add to egg mixture. Mix well.

5. Remove cookie base from the oven and pour pineapple mixture over top. Bake 50 minutes or until browned on the sides.

6. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This post linked to:

Friday Potluck, Sweet Tooth Friday, Fusion Friday

Sweets For a Saturday