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Pineapple Square Bars #SundaySupper

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Hi Everyone and Happy Sunday to you!

Today is another Sunday Supper assignment.  This week we were told to make something Retro.  Retro?  All I could think about was retro candy.  What is retro when it comes to meals?  Hmmm, was there something that Grandma or Mom made when you were a kid and you completely forgot about it?  The only thing I could think of was goolash.  My mind went blank.  I asked my Husband what he ate as a kid, and of course I got I dunno?  Then he said Shit on a Shingle.  I said what?  What the heck is that?  I told him I couldn’t post something with that name.   He laughed at me.  So I asked him what is S.O.S?  He said it was food of the depression, basically it was some sort of peas in a sauce put on bread.  That did not sound appealing at all!!  But I was curious and goggled it!!  S.O.S is beef stock and evaporated milk thickened with a roux, seasoned with parsley and pepper served on bread.  It appeared in the military in 1910.  I guess Nestle’s sold it on a can.  Yuck!!!  Canned beef!  Blah!!!  So I asked my Hubby again, give me something else, and he gave me this. Pineapple Square Bars

This is my Husbands Mom’s recipe for Pineapple Bars.  Let me tell you, this was not an easy recipe to come by!!  My Husband told me that his Mom used to make a pineapple bar that was really good.  I asked for more of a description and he said that is all he remembers, except that it was really good!!  Great, that wasn’t any help at all.  So what do I do?  I decided to e-mail his brother and I asked, do you know about the pineapple bars your Mom made?  I figured he wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about.  Sure enough, he was yah the pineapple bars, they were so good!  Mom would make them a couple of times a year.  He knew with the words pineapple bars exactly was I was talking about.  They must of been some good bars to remember them after all these years and not give any description except for the name.  He said he would ask his wife if she had the recipe.  Well with in 48 hours I got an e-mail back, saying that he asked his Sister, who asked their other Sister for the recipe.  Needless to say my Husbands Sister hand wrote the recipe out for me and put it in the mail.  A week later it was in my hand.  One thing I didn’t tell you is that I didn’t tell my Husband I was doing this.  I wanted to surprise him with one of his Mom’s recipes.  I was so excited to make this for him.  See, I never met his Mom and he talks about her often and I thought this would be a nice tribute to her and to give him a piece of his childhood. Pineapple Square Bars

I looked at the recipe and gasped!  This was not going to be easy!!  I had to make pie dough.  I never made pie dough before and I knew this was going to be a disaster.  With this recipe you can’t cheat and buy a pre-made pie dough either because it is made with sour cream.   So I did my best.  I made the dough and I had to refrigerate it for 24 hours, then the tough part came.  I had to divide the dough in half and roll it out to fit a 11 x 15 cake pan.  I was surprised, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.  The filling is made with crushed pineapple from the can, sugar and cornstarch and it was heated until it was nice and thick.

Pineapple Square Bars I layered the pineapple on top of the first layer of dough and then I had to put the top layer of dough on top of the pineapple.  That was tricky, but I did it!  I baked it in the oven and once it cooled the recipe said to make Running Frosting.  I had no clue what that was, so I asked on Facebook and I was told it was a Royal Frosting that was thin and harden quickly.   You know the frosting they put on sugar cookies.  Once the bars cooled, I put a layer of Royal Frosting on top and sprinkled it with walnuts.  I did it!!  My Husband was home the whole time I was making these, but he was working on his car, so he had no idea what I was up to!!  He he!!


Pineapple Square Bars I called my Husband into the house and told him to come here.  I handed him a plate of pineapple bars.  He looked at them and said, what is that with a big smile.  Now you have to know, when I cook stuff he doesn’t get to excited, unless I tell you otherwise.   I said they are pineapple bars.  He knew exactly what they were!    He said they were almost like his Mom’s.  He said he didn’t remember the frosting, then I told him but that was what is on her recipe.  Then he said oh yah, it was a very thin layer, almost transparent layer of frosting.  Then he ate three of them and said they are so good, gave me a kiss on my forehead and said thank you.  Then he went on to tell me his Mom would make them twice a year, on big baking sheets.  I can see why she only made them a couple of times of year.  The dough on top was the hard part.  The rest wasn’t to bad.  I have to tell you, I asked my Hubby if I could take some to work, and he grabbed the pan and said no, they’re mine.  lol  He never has done that before.  Normally he says ok!  So that is my retro recipe for you!!

Pineapple Square Bars I gave you the story behind these bars, but I never told you what I thought of them.  I have to say they are amazing!  I never had anything like these in my life.  They really do remind me of something that I would have had during my childhood.   I have never seen anywhere this kind of recipe!  This is recipe is defiantly one that my Mom or Grandma would have made.  The dough is so light and flaky and the magical pineapple filling takes you to another place.  I can’t forget the thin layer of frosting which added a touch of sweetness to pull it all together.  This is one recipe that I am proud to have made.  It’s not my normal healthy recipe that I would post, and I could have made modifications to healthify it, but somethings you just don’t touch!!  This is my Husbands Mom’s recipe and I didn’t want to ruin it or make any kind of modifications.  So with that said, this is a treat and I am not giving you the calories on it because somethings are best unknown! Pineapple Square Bars

Mom's Pineapple Square Bars
 
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A sweet pineapple bar made with a flaky sour cream crust topped with royal frosting and chopped nuts.
Serves: 24 Bars
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • For Dough:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks margarine (I used butter)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • ½ pt. sour cream ( I used 8 oz container)
  • For Filling:
  • 2 cups crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 tbsp. cornstarch
  • Royal frosting:
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
  • Topping:
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
  1. In a bowl add flour, baking powder and salt; set a side.
  2. In a large bowl, add butter and egg yolks; beat until combined. Add sour cream and mix until combined. Beat in flour mixture. Wrap dough in cellophane and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  3. In a large pot; add pineapple, sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thicken (about 7 minutes); stirring frequently. Set a side to cool.
  4. Preheat oven 350F
  5. Set aside 11 x 15 cake pan
  6. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface roll dough out to fit cake pan. Line bottom of pan with dough. Evenly spread pineapple mixture over top of dough.
  7. Roll out 2nd piece of dough to fit cake pan. Carefully place dough over top of pineapple filling. (I pierced 4 slits in the center, I don't know if that was necessary)
  8. Bake in oven for 45 minutes; until lightly golden.
  9. Let bars cool completely
  10. To make frosting:
  11. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. (The right consistency is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
  12. Spread frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans.
Notes
Please note the pie dough needs to chill for 24 hour before using.

No calories today, this is a special recipe.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 bar
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

I am really glad I got to share this recipe with you today because my Husband wasn’t going to let me share it, but I begged him.  I told him it was to good not to share with the world.  He agreed when I told him it was for the Sunday Supper post, knowing  what Sunday Supper meant, he said ok.  🙂

Don’t forget to check out everyone’s fabulous recipes.  I can’t wait to see what retro recipes they made today!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Toodles,

Jen

Join us Around the Family Table this Sunday at 7pm Eastern Time and share your favorite Retro Food Memory with us!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet) says

    Hey, sweet friend…have I mentioned that I love that you’re part of #SS now! I also love that you made this memory for your husband. When the people we love are gone, food can allow them to live on. We still my my Great Gramma’s recipes and laugh and laugh as well tell stories about the funny things she said/did!

    Reply

  4. Heather @girlichef says

    Well, first of all, I kind of really like Shit on a Shingle! I’ve never used canned beef to make it, just regular old chipped beef…but it’s so good. And these Pineapple Bars look insanely delicious!! I totally want to make them!

    Reply

  17. Jan says

    These pineapple bars look soooo good that I can’t wait to make them! I haven’t had Shit on a Shingle in along time! I can remember when my Mom first made it, just hearing the name I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t even want to look at it! Lol. But all it is a roux made with butter, flour,and milk. Then put chipped beef in it and put it over toast. Yum!

    Reply

  21. Tammi says

    What a nice story!! I love that you did this for your husband. So sweet. That and they do look delish!!! YUMMY! My husband would love these I may have to give it a go for him.

    Reply

  23. theninjabaker says

    These do look absolutely delicious, Jennifer. Thank you for obtaining and sharing your mother-in-law’s recipe =) BTW My husband is my most honest and forthright critic, too.

    Reply

  26. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    Jen, this was a true labour of love. I can’t believe you went through all of that to obtain the recipe. And then to conquer pie dough! It’s my baking archnemesis – I haven’t gotten it right yet. Yours looks perfect – so golden and flaky. I can just imagine how delicious these bars were. And I laughed at the name of SOS and then gagged at the description. I know that people were forced to eat it based on the circumstances of the time. Poor them!

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says

      Their has been errors in my blog. The recipe should be there now, but here is the recipe just in case! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂

      Ingredients:
      For Dough:
      3 cups flour
      2 tsp. baking powder
      1/4 tsp. salt
      2 sticks margarine (I used butter)
      3 egg yolks
      1/2 pt. sour cream ( I used 8 oz container)
      For Filling:
      2 cups crushed pineapple, drained
      1 cup sugar
      4 tbsp. cornstarch
      Royal frosting:
      2 large egg whites
      2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
      3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
      Topping:
      1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
      Instructions

      In a bowl add flour, baking powder and salt; set a side.
      In a large bowl, add butter and egg yolks; beat until combined. Add sour cream and mix until combined. Beat in flour mixture. Wrap dough in cellophane and refrigerate for 24 hours.
      In a large pot; add pineapple, sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thicken (about 7 minutes); stirring frequently. Set a side to cool.
      Preheat oven 350F
      Set aside 11 x 15 cake pan
      Divide dough in half. On a floured surface roll dough out to fit cake pan. Line bottom of pan with dough. Evenly spread pineapple mixture over top of dough.
      Roll out 2nd piece of dough to fit cake pan. Carefully place dough over top of pineapple filling. (I pierced 4 slits in the center, I don’t know if that was necessary)
      Bake in oven for 45 minutes; until lightly golden.
      Let bars cool completely
      To make frosting:
      In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. (The right consistency is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
      Spread frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans.
      Notes

      Please note the pie dough needs to chill for 24 hour before using.

      Reply

  31. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

    I adore this story. The fact that he couldnt tell you what was in them, but they were good. (I get this ALL the time w/ my hubs) And then through an amazing chain of relatives, you got the recipe. And bless your heart b/c if you didn’t get it, sounds like this one would have died off but now, it will live on forever thru the internet 🙂 And not healthifying them, GOOD! Some things should never be messed with!

    Reply

  35. Aurora Lambino says

    Thank you for this recipe and the story behind it. I am 7 years late in discovering your recipe, but thanks to your surprised husband for allowing you to share his mom’s recipe. I hope to test this soon as I get the ingredients. Best regards and hope all is well with you and your family.

    Reply

  36. Mary Bell says

    We used to have these growing up too! Mom would make a lattice top on top of the filling. She would use a cookie sheet and make 1/2 with cherry or blueberry pie filling and the other 1/2 with pineapple. Thanks for the wonderful memory💚

    Reply

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