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Nana’s Pineapple Delight is a vintage recipe from my grandmother; sweet, fruity pineapple bars with a creamy vanilla frosting and flaky butter crust. It’s a staple summer dessert that makes enough to feed a crowd!
As a kid summertime functions had different desserts on my mom’s and dad’s sides of the family.
On my maternal side, it was usually strawberry shortcake or sometimes a fruity pie like blueberry, peach, or cherry.
And in my dad’s family it was things like cookies, brownies, or my Nana’s Pineapple Delight.
These dessert bar cookies have a flaky pie crust bottom, sweet/tart pineapple pie filling, vanilla frosting, and crunchy walnut topping. Each slice has its own glistening sticky sweet red maraschino cherry on top. I remember we all enjoyed it, but my dad in particular loved this treat.
It was the type of thing my grandmother would bring to every summertime family function. And of course it was always one of the first things to disappear from the dessert table. Which was good in the sense that it was less to pack up and cleanup!
If you’re looking for a new treat to try for summer gatherings, bookmark this recipe. It makes 20 servings so there’ll be enough for the whole family. And its sweet/tart fruit filling, flaky butter crust, and decadent vanilla frosting will make it a treat everyone can get on board with. Just be prepared to have people ask you for the recipe!
In This Article
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- With 20 servings, it makes enough for the whole party. And you can cut the squares a bit smaller to get more servings.
- The textures in this dessert are perfect. Flaky crust, fruity filling, creamy frosting, and crunchy walnuts!
- If you’re pressed for time, you can make this semi-homemade-style! Use store-bought pie dough, pie filling, and vanilla frosting.
The Best Pineapple Bars Recipe
Like many vintage recipes that are passed down, this one came with minimal instructions. My grandmother Nancy’s original recipe stated:
“Pineapple Delight: Make enough dough for 2 double shelled pies, spread in pan, spread pineapple (or other fruit) filling on that, bake at 400F for ½ hour (or so). Frost, then sprinkle with nuts.”
I filled in the gaps! And I'm sharing step-by-step instructions to walk you through the whole process.
Ingredients
Crust:
- All-purpose flour: Regular flour is what we’re going for here.
- Salt: This is for flavor, don’t skimp!
- Unsalted butter: Use unsalted because it lets us add salt to taste, and it’s fresher! Make sure the butter is cold when you cut it into the flour.
- Ice water: The water needs to be icy cold so it doesn’t melt the butter.
Filling:
- Canned crushed pineapple in heavy syrup: If you can only find crushed pineapple in juice, use that and add another ¼ cup granulated sugar.
- Granulated sugar: To make it sweet and balance out the sweet/tart pineapple flavor.
- Fresh lime juice: This enhances the fruit’s natural flavor and creates balance.
- Salt: This pulls out the fruity flavor.
- Cornstarch + water: This creates a slurry and thickens our filling.
Frosting:
- Unsalted butter: This is the rich, creamy base for our American buttercream frosting.
- Vanilla: Adds aroma and flavor.
- Salt: This balances the sweetness and pulls out the butter and vanilla notes.
- Powdered sugar: Along with butter, this is the other classic component of American buttercream. It adds sweetness, structure, and volume.
- Heavy whipping cream: Helps create the perfect creamy consistency. If you prefer, you can use half and half or whole milk instead.
Decoration:
- Chopped walnuts: For crunch and nutty flavor! You can omit them or swap them out for any type of nut you like.
- Maraschino cherries: My Nana always served this summertime treat with a cherry on top!
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make and Roll Out Pie Dough:
- Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks crumbly.
- There should be some pieces of butter the size of small peas.
- Drizzle in the water a little at a time, stirring in between additions.
- The dough should look shaggy. Only add enough water so that the dough comes together when you squeeze it.
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball.
- Flatten the dough out to a rectangle about 8 inches wide by 11 inches long (this will help you roll it out later). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill.
- Flour a piece of parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and place it on top of the floured parchment paper. Flour the top of the dough, and place another piece of parchment paper on top.
- Roll out the dough to a rectangle about 15 inches wide by 22 inches long.
- Peel off the top piece of parchment paper from the dough. Place an 11.5 by 17.5-inch baking tray on top of the rolled out dough.
- Carefully invert it so that the tray is on the bottom and the dough is on the top. Slowly peel off the bottom piece of parchment paper, which is now on top. Gently press the dough up the sides of the tray.
How to Make Pineapple Pie Filling:
- Mix together the cornstarch and cold water in a bowl to form a slurry.
- Add the pineapple (with liquid), sugar, lime, juice, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Once the mixture is steaming, stir in the cornstarch slurry.
- Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Cool.
How to Bake and Frost Pineapple Bars:
- Use a fork to poke several holes in the bottom of the dough.
- Spread the cooled pineapple filling evenly out onto the pie crust.
- Bake until the crust is light golden, about 28 to 32 minutes at 400F. Cool.
- Make the frosting.
- Once the bars are cooled, evenly spread the frosting on top.
- Immediately sprinkle the walnuts evenly on top. Let it set for about 20 minutes, and then cut into slices. Top each slice with a maraschino cherry.
Storage
Store leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Variations on This Recipe
- Swap out the fruity filling for any type of pie filling you like!
- If you prefer a cream cheese frosting instead of regular vanilla buttercream, go ahead and use that! My all-time favorite cream cheese frosting is the one I use to frost carrot cake in this post.
- Go nuts with the nuts and use your favorite type.
Tips
- Be careful not to add too much water to the dough or it can become gummy.
- Instead of making your own pineapple filling, you can use a 20-ounce can of store-bought pineapple pie filling.
- If walnuts aren’t your thing, swap them out for chopped almonds or pecans. Or omit them if desired.
More Summer Desserts to Make
- Mango Shortcake
- No Bake Cheesecake Parfait
- Ballpark Blondies (Brown Butter Salted Peanut Caramel Corn Blondies)
- Peach Hand Pies
- Strawberry Low Carb Ice Cream
Nana’s Pineapple Delight (Pineapple Bars Recipe)
By: Faith Gorsky
Nana’s Pineapple Delight is a vintage recipe from my grandmother; sweet, fruity pineapple bars with a creamy vanilla frosting and flaky butter crust. It’s a staple summer dessert that makes enough to feed a crowd!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Chill Time 2 hours hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 servings
Calories 415 kcal
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more to roll out the dough
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 19 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup + 3 tablespoons, chilled
- 1 cup ice water
Filling:
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup with liquid
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup cold water to form a slurry
Frosting:
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Decoration:
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 20 maraschino cherries patted dry
Instructions
For the Crust:
Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks crumbly with some pieces of butter the size of small peas. Drizzle in the water a little at a time, stirring in between additions to form a shaggy dough. Only add enough water so that the dough comes together when you squeeze it.
Shape the dough into a ball, and then flatten it out to a rectangle about 8 inches wide by 11 inches long (this will help you roll it out later). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the fridge for 2 hours.
Flour a piece of parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and place it on top of the floured parchment paper. Flour the top of the dough, and place another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll out the dough to a rectangle about 15 inches wide by 22 inches long.
Peel off the top piece of parchment paper from the dough. Place an 11.5 by 17.5-inch baking tray on top of the rolled out dough. Carefully invert it so that the tray is on the bottom and the dough is on the top. Slowly peel off the bottom piece of parchment paper, which is now on top.
Gently press the dough up the sides of the tray. You will likely not have enough dough to flute the sides; it doesn’t have to look perfect, it will look fine once it’s baked. Use a fork to poke several holes in the bottom of the dough.
For the Filling:
Make the filling while the dough is chilling.
Add the pineapple (with liquid), sugar, lime, juice, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture is steaming, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and cool until room temperature or just lukewarm, about 30 minutes.
To Bake:
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Spread the cooled pineapple filling evenly out onto the pie crust.
Bake until the crust is light golden, about 28 to 32 minutes.
Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
For the Frosting:
Make the frosting while the bars cool.
Add the butter, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat until smooth. Add the cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
To Frost and Decorate the Bars:
Once the bars are cooled, evenly spread the frosting on top.
Immediately sprinkle the walnuts evenly on top.
Let it set for about 20 minutes, and then cut into slices. Top each slice with a maraschino cherry.
Serve.
Faith's Tips
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This makes one 11.5 by 17.5-inch pan, or 20 servings. Or you can cut it into smaller squares to get more servings out of it.
- Only Add Enough Water to the Dough so it Comes Together: Be careful not to add too much water to the dough or it can become gummy.
- Time Saving Tip for the Filling: Instead of making your own pineapple filling, you can use a 20-ounce can of store-bought pineapple pie filling.
- Walnut Substitution: If walnuts aren’t your thing, swap them out for chopped almonds or pecans. Or omit them if desired.
- Storage: Store leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Nana’s Pineapple Delight (Pineapple Bars Recipe)
Amount Per Serving (1 square)
Calories 415Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 53mg18%
Sodium 165mg7%
Potassium 93mg3%
Carbohydrates 49g16%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 31g34%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 639IU13%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Pineapple Bars, Pineapple Bars Recipe
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