Are you ready to try this buttery, crumbly, Pineapple Cashew Crumb Bar Recipe? This spring/summer dessert is easy to put together and so incredibly delicious. It just melts in your mouth!

Last summer, I got a chance to try out different crumble recipes, and that’s when I started loving them. I love a warm crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. It’s summer here now, and I am so looking forward to making these tasty fruit desserts.

Trying out crumbles led me to bake some crumb bars, which are easy to make and fantastic for sharing with your friends and family during this pandemic.

I am so missing those days! At least we got to gather around for special days or even have a cup of coffee and chat. I am sure most of you guys must be feeling the same too. Well, saying that: we need to be aware of what’s happening in the world and be grateful for what we have now. Hopefully, this will end soon! All of you are in my prayers. Please take care and be safe!

I started making a few crumb bars like berry bars and apple bars which came out perfect and will be posting soon. So how did I get the idea of making Pineapple Cashew crumb bars? Well, it was when I tested a recipe for apple crumb bars. As usual, I took it to school for taste testing and also shared it with my trusted taste testers, and those apple bars became a success. Then it occurred to me that I should try making it with Pineapple and cashew.

Pineapple and cashew is a favorite combo for some of us who love the Sri Lankan Pineapple Gateau. So I had to try this combo together in a crumb bar. Needless to say, it became a hit among all who taste-tested. I have made these bars 5 times now, and it was perfect every single time. It has all the components that a crumb bar should have. Now, this is a popular dessert addition to my repertoire.

How to make Pineapple Cashew Crumb Bar

These bars are sweet, buttery, nutty, and zesty. It starts with a layer of cookie dough, pineapple and, topped with cashew crumble topping.

These fruit bars are easy to put together. This cookie dough method is very similar to my Chocolate chip cookie bars. Here I have used cashew flour and all-purpose flour for the cookie dough base.

I made the cookie dough in the food processor. However, you can make it by hand or use a handheld mixer. The sheet pan I used was a 15x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Although, a 13x 9-inch pan would work well too. But the bars might get a little higher than a jelly roll pan.

Ingredients for the cookie dough base

Flour – All-purpose flour and cashew flour are both in this recipe. If you don’t have cashew flour in hand, you can replace it with 1/2 cup of almond flour. You can also replace it with 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour.

Butter – Use unsalted cold butter. If using salted butter, leave the salt out from the recipe.

Sugar – 1 cup of granulated white sugar added to these bars. However, you can sub with brown sugar if you prefer.

Egg – 1 large egg

Baking powder – 1 teaspoon baking powder

Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla essence.

Salt– add salt to enhance the flavor.

Use a hand mixer, food processor, or a bowl and a wooden spoon. I used a food processor to put this cookie dough together as it is much easier for me.

First, add flour, cashew flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder into the food processor and pulse 2-3 times to mix.

Next, add the cold butter and pulse until it forms a sandy texture.

Then, add the egg and vanilla. Pulse a few times until the mixture just comes together. Don’t over-mix the dough.

Put the dough into a parchment-lined 15×10 inch jelly roll pan or a 13×9 inch rectangular pan.

Spread by pressing the dough evenly into the pan. Leave the dough to rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Next, drain and squeeze out all the juice from the pineapple and put it in a bowl. Take the cookie dough layer out from the fridge and add the pineapple layer above it.

Lastly, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly on top of the pineapple layer. Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes or until the top, and the edges are lightly browned. Every oven is different so, always better to check by about 25 minutes.

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool the bars for 1- 2 hours. Carefully lift the bars with the parchment paper and place it on the counter/cutting board. Cut the bars into squares and let them cool completely, and enjoy. Or, serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze them for 3 months. Thaw it and bring it to room temperature before serving.

The Crumb topping for Pineapple Cashew Crumb Bar

This crumb topping could be prepped ahead of time. The amount of crumb topping might look like it’s a lot, but it is enough to cover the top completely. If you prefer less crumb topping, you can reduce the amount by halving the topping recipe. I have used a mixture of all-purpose flour and cashew flour for the crumb topping. However, feel free to replace the amount of cashew flour with almond flour or plain all-purpose flour.

Ingredients

all-purpose flour

cashew flour

brown sugar

cinnamon

chopped cashew

cold unsalted butter

How to make the Cashew Crumb topping

Add all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well to combine.
Next, add the cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips and rub the butter with the rest of the ingredients to form small clumps which resemble a coarse sand texture.
Cover and leave the crumb topping in the refrigerator for 30 -40 minutes. If you are in a time crunch, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes. Do not skip the chilling time. Chilling the crumb topping yields a crunchy top.
Meanwhile, make the cookie dough.
After chilling, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly to layer the top of the pineapple cookie dough.