Pineapple pie bars are a tropical fruity treat with all the flavor of a pineapple cobbler in an easy-to-eat dessert bar! The soft buttery crust is topped with a sweet pineapple pie filling and a smooth vanilla glaze. They are an easy sweet treat that will be a hit for any occasion!
Best Pineapple Pie Bars Recipe
Who doesn’t love a buttery, crumbly, sweet cobbler? It is the perfect summer dessert! Delicious tropical pineapple topped with flaky pastry and adorned with a sweet glaze.
Now imagine everything that you love about cobblers in a handheld, portable bar! These pineapple pie bars will be the hit of every picnic, potluck, or party that you take them to!
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One of my favorite things about this dessert recipe is how beautiful it looks once prepared! The pineapple is topped with soft, browned pastry and then drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze.
🥘 Pineapple Pie Bar Ingredients
You can either use canned pineapple filling or turn your hand to try the pineapple pie filling listed here! Either way, these bars will be ultra tasty!
Pineapple Pie Bars
- Butter – ¾ cup (12 tablespoons or 1½ sticks salted butter)
- Sugar – 1½ cups
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
- Eggs – 3 large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract – 1½ teaspoons, or use 1 teaspoon coconut or rum extract.
- All Purpose Flour – 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- Pineapple Pie Filling – 21oz can or, alternatively, use my homemade pineapple pie filling.
Vanilla Glaze
- Confectioners’ Sugar – ½ cup
- Heavy Cream – 1 tablespoon or, alternatively use half and half or whole milk
- Vanilla Extract – ½ teaspoon
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How to Make Pineapple Pie Bars
Although impressive to present, these cobbler bars are an absolute breeze to prepare! Start with gathering all of the baking equipment needed: measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, spoons, and a 9x13 baking pan.
The recipe makes 18 bars – so get ready to feed a crowd!
Prepare the Ingredients
- Prepare oven and baking pans. Start by pre-heating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease your 9x13 baking dish. You can use any fat that you have on hand for this – butter, oil, or cooking spray.
- Cream ingredients. In a large bowl, cream together the ¾ cup of softened butter, 1½ cups of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of salt together until smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add 1 egg and the 1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon of coconut extract); continue to mix and then add the remaining 2 eggs, one at a time. If the mixture does curdle, then simply add a tablespoon of flour which will enable the fat and liquid to emulsify again.
- Mix in the flour. Gradually incorporate the rest of the flour, ensuring that there are no lumps and the ingredients are all well-mixed into a soft dough. Set aside one cup of dough – you will need this later.
- Prepare the cobbler. Add the remaining larger quantity of dough to the greased baking dish and spread across the bottom of the dish; top the dough with a layer of pineapple pie filling; on top of the pie filling, add rounded tablespoons of the reserved one cup of dough.
- Bake. Place the cobbler in a 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes. You will know it is ready once the middle is set and the topping is golden brown.
- Cool. Let the dish cool before turning it out onto a wire rack and carefully cutting the dessert into bars.
Vanilla Glaze
- Combine the glaze. It is important to wait until the cobbler has cooled entirely otherwise the icing will melt. Combine together the glaze ingredients (½ cup of powdered sugar, a tablespoon of heavy cream, and ½ teaspoon vanilla) in a small bowl. The consistency should be thick enough to coat a spoon and yet runny enough to apply the drizzle.
- Apply the glaze. Drizzle the cobbler bars and allow the glaze to set prior to packaging or serving.
These pineapple squares are a delicious treat all by themselves! Check out more dessert bar ideas to make a complete gift basket! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can use any sugar that you have on hand – it will increase the depth of flavor but it will still be delicious!
- If you don’t have canned pineapple filling then give this homemade version a try!
- The natural partner of pineapple has to be coconut! This is an excellent pairing and a dusting of coconut really makes this recipe sing!
- For holidays and celebrations, these treats travel quite well in a small box or pretty bag with a bow. Baked gifts are the best and are always happily received! Gift box ideas can be found here.
- If time is a factor or you really hate washing up, you can always use a disposable baking pan; this is also really helpful if you plan to cook at someone else’s house and want to cut back on items to bring.
- Use a very sharp knife to cut the bars and carefully wipe the blade after each cut. This helps keep the bars clean looking and makes the job much easier!
🥡 Storing
Like most cakes and baked goods, it is best to store the unglazed cobbler bars in an airtight container. Once the glaze has been applied, the container needs to be refrigerated, if it contains fresh dairy. For the best taste, it is advisable to consume the bars within two days.
To freeze, place the unglazed bars in heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap tightly. When you are ready to thaw the bars, leave them in the fridge overnight. It is not recommended to freeze the glaze so you will need to glaze them once thawed.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes – fortunately for our celiac friends, this recipe is easily made gluten-free but substitution all-purpose flour for a gluten-free variety.
My personal favorite gluten-free flour is Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. I find that this flour consistently produces the best results however, you are able to use whichever flour you prefer.
The array of vegan products on the market now is truly astounding. This recipe can be recreated to be suitable for vegans by substituting flax eggs and vegan butter in the pastry. The drizzle would need to be made with water or a splash of non-dairy milk such as almond, cashew, or oat.
The world is your pie-filling oyster, this recipe is completely adaptable to any type of fruit. You can procure most fruit in a ready-made canned form or use the abundant seasonal offerings and make your own filling!
🍫 More Tasty Dessert Bars
- Blackberry Pie Bars - If you're looking for some more delicious and fruity pie bars, these blackberry squares will hit the spot!
- Apple Cobbler Bars - These apple cobbler bars have all of the flavors of a homemade cobbler but in easy-to-serve bar form!
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars - These decadently rich bars are loaded with chocolate and pecans!
- Hello Dolly Bars - These tasty bars feature chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, and pecans!
- Lemon Bars - Classic lemon bars are a fan-favorite treat!
- Pineapple Bars - If you're looking for some more sweet pineapple desserts, these pineapple bars are a must-try!
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📖 Recipe Card
Pineapple Pie Bars
Ingredients
Pineapple Pie Bars
- ¾ cup butter (softened - 12 tablespoons, or 1½ sticks butter)
- 1½ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 21 oz pineapple pie filling (1 21-ounce can or see my recipe)
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or whole milk, or half & half)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Pineapple Pie Bars
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter, baking spray, or non-stick cooking.
- Cream together the softened butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add each egg one at a time, beginning with the first egg and the vanilla extract. Mix between adding each additional egg. *If your mixture starts to curdle, add a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour.
- Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour just until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Set aside 1 cup of dough for the topping.
- Add the remaining dough to your prepared baking pan and spread it in an even layer over the bottom. Then, top the dough with pineapple pie filling. Drop rounded spoonfuls of the reserved 1 cup of dough over the top of the pineapple filling.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) until the cobbler bars are golden and the topping is set and no longer doughy, about 30-35 minutes. When done, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool fully before adding the icing.
Vanilla Glaze
- After the bars have cooled, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Adjust the thickness as needed to reach a consistency that will cling to the back of a spoon but drizzles easily.
- Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the cooled cobbler bars then cut and serve right away or allow the glaze to set before cutting.
Notes
- If you're out of canned pineapple pie filling, try my easy homemade pineapple pie filling!
- I love the combination of pineapple and coconut and these easy pineapple cobbler squares are amazing with a sprinkle of toasted coconut!
- To store: Keep any leftover pineapple cobbler bars in an airtight container at room temperature without the glaze and enjoy within 2 days. (If using a dairy-based glaze, your bars should be refrigerated.)
- To freeze: If you plan on freezing your pineapple pie bars, wait until they are thawed to add the glaze. Wrap the cobbler bars tightly in heavy-duty foil, then place them in a freezer bag or storage container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving and enjoy within 3 months.
Joanne says
Can this be frozen?
Angela Latimer says
Yes, definitely! They freeze great as a slab still in the pan, otherwise I like to wrap them and freeze individually. Thanks for asking!
H says
Could I substitute margarine for the butter?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, you can use margarine in this recipe but remember that margarine contains more moisture. You may need to adjust the flour to offset that, until the 'feel' is right.