Hello lovelies,
Boy, has it been a moment since we added a new recipe to my ‘shortbread bars’ series but I’m back with the first shortbread bar recipe of the year and let me tell you straight, you need to get excited as we are stepping it up a notch today.
We all know I love a delicious ingredient concoction and the one I’m sharing with you today not only excites me massively but I feel might be a firm favourite with you guys also!
Yup, it’s finally time I shared my ‘mango and passionfruit shortbread bars’ with you all.
It’s taken a while to perfect but these shortbread bars are slightly different to any I’ve made before.
Not only do I make a mango compote but I’ve also perfected my passionfruit curd and whilst these two elements separately are unbelievably delicious, together… they taste like pure heaven.
If like me, you’re a mango & passionfruit combination lover, you need to recreate these bars asap! Whilst I’ll admit that these shortbread bars take a little longer than the other ones in my series to recreate, you are guaranteed a flavour bomb to irrupt on your taste buds and in turn, will leave you begging for more.
I’m obsessed and you will be too!
So, if you’d like to recreate these shortbread bars yourself, you know the drill. Keep on scrolling below and you’ll find today’s recipe.
Category: Sweet Treat
Servings: 12-16 Bars
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Chill Time: 1.5 – 2 Hours
Bake Time: 1Hour 10Minutes
Overall Time: 4+ Hours
Ingredients You Need For The Shortbread:
- 170g Of Unsalted Butter
- 105g Of Caster Sugar
- 65g Of Light Brown Sugar
- 2tsp Of Vanilla Bean Paste / Extract
- 280g Of Plain Flour
Ingredients You need For The Mango Compote:
- 4x Tropical & Sweet Mangoes
- 30g Of Granulated Sugar
- 2.5tbsp Of Cornflour
- 2.5tbsp Of Water
Ingredients You Need For The Passionfruit Curd:
- 6x Sharp & Sweet Passionfruit
- 150g Of Caster Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 115g Of Unsalted Butter, Cubed
How To Make The Shortbread Base & Topping:
- Firstly, gather together your equipment and ingredients, line a 8” loose-bottomed square baking tin with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan / Gas Mark 4.
- Secondly, in a large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat together the 170g of unsalted butter with the 105g of caster sugar, 65g of light brown sugar and 2tsp of vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- Next, slowly add the 280g of plain flour and mix until incorporated and a shortbread dough begins to form.
- Transfer one third of the shortbread dough into a clean bowl and using a fork, break the dough into coarse crumbs. Then, place into the freezer.
- Now, using your hands or a rubber spatula, press the remaining shortbread dough evenly across the base of the prepared baking tin.
- Using a fork, prick the dough all over (this stops the dough from puffing up whilst baking).
- Place the tin into the oven and bake for around 25 minutes, until the shortbread is golden brown.
- After 25 minutes, remove the shortbread base from the oven and set to one side to cool whilst you make the filling.
How To Make The Mango Compote:
- In a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the 4 chopped mangoes and 30g of granulated sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the mangoes have released all their juices and the mixture has began to thicken.
- In a cup, whisk together the 2.5tbsp of cornflour with 27g of water.
- Bring the mango mixture to the boil and add the cornflour slurry into the mango compote and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the compote is even thicker and paste-like.
- Once at a thickness you’re happy with, transfer the compote into a small heat-proof bowl and place into the fridge to cool down.
How To Make The Passionfruit Curd:
- Scoop the passionfruit pulp into a blender.
- Blend on a low pulse for 5 to 10 seconds (TIP: Do not over-blend or you will pulverize the seeds and turn the puree bitter).
- Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer and press the juice through with the back of a spoon into a small bowl.
- Next, in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat add the strained passionfruit pulp, the 150g of caster sugar, the 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- 2-3 cubes at a time, add the chopped butter cubes into the saucepan and stir continuously until the cubes have melted and they’ve incorporated into the curd.
- Now, turn the heat to low and continue cooking the curd for 2-3 minutes, until it has thickened and coats the back of the spoon.
- Once at a thickness you’re happy with, strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any cooked eggy bits.
- Pour the sieved curd into a bowl and place into the fridge for an hour to cool.
How To Assemble:
- Now that everything has been baked and chilled, it’s time to assemble.
- In a small bowl, add the cooled mango compote and the cooled passionfruit curd and using a spatula, carefully mix the two together until combined.
- Next, pour the mango and passionfruit mixture onto the baked and cooled shortbread base and using a spoon, spread the fruit mixture out evenly.
- Remove the remaining shortbread from the freezer and sprinkle it across the top of the fruit mixture.
- Place the shortbread bars back into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin.
- Finally, once fully cooled, carefully remove from the baking tin and cut into 16 squares and serve.
That’s your Mango & Passionfruit Shortbread Bars prepared, baked, cooled and baked again, ready for you to enjoy.
Notes:
- For a cleaner cut of these shortbread bars, once cooled, place into the fridge for 30 minutes. This allows it to harden making it easier to cut.
- These mango and passionfruit shortbread bars should last 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature.
- Once baked and completely cooled, these shortbread bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. I’d recommend taking out the freezer the night before eating, put the bars into the fridge to thaw and remove from the fridge the next morning to bring the bars to room temperature before serving.
- The passionfruit curd will keep for up to three weeks in the fridge unopened in an airtight container, If opened, use the passionfruit curd within a week.
- The mango compote will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container.
- You can freeze both the mango compote and the passionfruit curd in an airtight container together or separately for up to 2 months.
- I brought both my mangoes and passionfruit from Asda.
After writing this recipe out and looking at the photos, it’s made me desperate to go and whip up another batch (that just goes to show how yummy these are!).
These shortbread bars just scream summer. The vibrant, tropical, tart punch from the mango and passionfruit with the buttery, crisp shortbread – it’s just like drinking a tropical cocktail abroad.
Let me know in the comments below if you make these shortbread bars yourself and if you do, what your thoughts are on them. Are you a mango & passionfruit lover? Did you enjoy the combination of the fruits with the shortbread?
{Check out my other shortbread bars here: https://ellegracedeveson.com/?s=Shortbread+bars+}
Sending you all tons of love & hugs as always,
Elle xo
