Sticky Mango Shortbread Bars ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

Spring is in the air, birds are singing,  April showers have given way to May flowers, and amazing produce is showing up at the Farmer's Markets.  It makes perfect sense that our theme this month for #Creative Cookie Exchange is Seasonal Spring Baking.
Of course here in Hawaii we don't follow the traditional spring routine, but it is the time of year when mangoes start ripening on the trees. It looks like it will be a bumper crop this year as the trees are overflowing with fruit.  Some of most popular varieties here include Haden, Pirie, and Rapoza, and mangoes tend to be the zucchini of Hawaii - sometimes you have so many that you can't give them away.  Towards the end of last mango season a friend was bringing in bags of mangoes every few days at work, and I could not possibly use them all before they went bad so I peeled them and put them in my freezer. My family has been enjoying them in smoothies, and I used the last bag of them in these Sticky Mango Shortbread Bars - thanks Jaimie and Ryan if you are reading this.

As soon as I saw this recipe on my FaceBook feed I knew I had to make them.  They actually started out as lemon, but in keeping with this month's theme I subbed the lemon for mango.  The title in the recipe does not lie - they are very sticky - as evidenced when I tried to get them out of the pan.  I made the very bad decision to put a cutting board on top and then flip it over, thinking that I could then flip them onto a plate.  Not so much.  The entire pan stuck to the board.    After a few choice words I salvaged them as best I could and figured that powered sugar can fix most flaws, so I powdered those things like there was no tomorrow.  Of course with the humidity here they sucked up the powdered sugar like a sponge.  When you make these bars, do yourself a big favor and make them in a pan that has a removable base like one of these. Also,  I like my bars with a little more filling so I would probably make them in a smaller pan next time so that they are a little taller.

The funny thing is that I did not actually taste these bars, but my family assured me they were delicious.  Sometimes even if we can't eat what we make we do it anyway because it is something that our family enjoys - that's what baker's do.  I actually like mango but it does not like me, and I get a rash from eating it, so I try to avoid it in bigger quantities.

If you would like to know more about #CreativeCookieExchange and see what the other bakers made for the Seasonal Spring Baking theme please scroll down below the recipe. Thanks to Laura from The Spiced Life for hosting.


Sticky Mango Shortbread Bars
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients
Shortbread ~

• 120g butter, softened
• 30g powdered sugar
• 5ml vanilla extract
• finely grated zest 1 small lemon
• 160g all-purpose flour
• 30g ground almonds
• pinch of salt

Mango topping ~

• 4 eggs
• 300g superfine sugar
• 40g all-purpose flour
• 300g mango puree
• 20ml lemon juice

Preparation
Shortbread ~

1. Grease and then fully line a 24 cm x 24 cm cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 170˚C.
3. Add butter, icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until very light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour, ground almonds, and salt and mix until just combined.
5. Press evenly into the pan and bake for 15 minutes until golden and firm.

Mango Topping ~

1. Add the eggs, sugar, and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the mango and lemon juice until well combined.
2. Pour mango mixture over the shortbread and bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is set and golden. Cool.
3. Once fully cooled cut into bars and dust with icing sugar. Makes approximately 15 pieces.

Recipe adapted from Dish.
For US measurements please click here

Spring is here! And with it loads of great flavors for baking!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made ~

• Chocolate Chocolate Cherry Cookies from 2 Cookin' Mamas
• Jam Thumbprint Cookies from A Baker's House
• Lavender Shortbread with Lemon Drizzle from Baking in Pyjamas
• Lemon and Cream Cookies from Basic N Delicious
• Lychee Melting Moments from Flours and Frostings
• Rhubarb Dream Bars... Trifle from The Spiced Life
• Rhubarb Lemon Drop Cookies from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Sticky Mango Shortbread Bars from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Strawberry Cheesecake Bars from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies from Magnolia Days