It’s ironical that as a baker, I can’t really tolerate anything that’s too sweet. I love my desserts and fancy bakes and all, but unlike my younger years when I could easily gobble up a couple of chocolates within minutes, I now seek a little more depth and complexity to a dish. A good dessert needs to have some crunch, a tangy bite to it, and definitely some saltiness to cut through any overbearing sweetness. Which is perhaps why I’ve never been too fond of Indian “mithais” too much and as many laddoos as you put in front of me, I can very easily go without touching one (can’t say the same about a good cake though!)
When I made these mango shortbread bars sometime back, I was only trying to recreate another favorite of mine. Little did I think this would turn out so yummy and liked by people with such different taste preferences. A few things to keep in mind.
MANGO PUlP
While it’s always better to use fresh mango pulp to make the puree, if you want to try this recipe when it’s not mango season, you can use store-brought pulp as well. Another good idea is to store some pulp when mangoes are in season. You can add some sugar to the pulp to act like a preservative and stash it away in an airtight container in the freezer and use as desired. If using sweetened pulp, reduce the quantity of sugar in the recipe when making the puree.
Mango Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 cup Butter (cold & cut into cubes)
Mango Puree
- 350g Mango Pulp (about 3-4 mangoes)
- ¾ cup Sugar (adjust according to sweetness of fruit)
- 1 small Lemon
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Making the Mango Puree – In a pan, add the mango pulp, sugar, lemon juice and a tbsp of water and let the mangoes cook till you have a thick puree and the water has evaporated. Keep this aside to cool till you work on the shortbread. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Line a 8*8 inch tray with foil. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degree C.
- In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and pale. Add flour, and cornflour and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon till it comes together like a dough.
- Keep ¼ of this dough aside and spread the remaining onto the prepared tray. Bake this at 170 C for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let it cool.
- Once cool, pour the mango puree on top, and spread evenly.
- For the crumble top – Take the dough set aside earlier, add to it 1 tbsp flour and use your fingers to mix it to a crumble consistency and spread roughly on top of the mango puree. Throw in nuts on top.
- Bake again at 170 C for 15-20 minutes till the top is golden brown.
- Cool completely then cut into squares. Store covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Hi pooja
Can we make this with whole wheat, coconut oil and jaggery ?
Prefer not to use anything refined.
Hi Divya,
This is a rich dessert so I wouldn’t make all of those substitutions at once. Having said that, if you have dietary restrictions, you could try maybe 1 or 2 substitutes at a time. I personally haven’t tried so can’t say for sure how it might alter the taste. Do let me know if you try it though!
Man this is delish – our new Favorite Mango ???? dessert ???? ; the taste is unexplainable – beyond words ! Thanks for putting this together; BTW I used gluten free flour for the crust , added some grated coconut too to it. Only nuts on top with no crumbles
Hi there! So glad you liked it this much! Also coconut sound awesome, always a great idea with mango!
Hi Pooja,
Have tried the recipe and as much as it was fun to make, it was equally delicious. Everyone loved it and turned out to be our new favourite Mango Dessert.