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!
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.
Notes
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.