Surely you’ve tried lemon bars before but I bet you’ve never tasted the wonders of MANGO bars before! Honestly, these fruit bars are probably the best thing I’ve made in a while and everything about them screams SUMMER. They’re slightly tart but mostly sweet and baked with a thick shortbread cookie crust. I’m a firm believer that everything should have a shortbread cookie crust. Then I dusted the tops with powdered sugar in a sweet floral pattern, which makes them feel like they belong at a fancy tea party! Even as someone who doesn’t normally enjoy mango, these lemon mango bars are absolutely to-die-for! Keep reading for all the details and the full recipe card.
I’ve been experimenting with new recipes that create pretty, vibrant desserts without making them look unedible due to crazy food coloring combinations. As delicious and colorful as my tie dye blondies were, they have A LOT of food coloring and don’t look natural…but these mango bars are au naturale! The vibrant yellowish orange color is all due to the mango puree, and they’re still very pretty. I might be bias but whatever.
Scroll down for the recipe card!
These mango bars taste entirely like mango despite the addition of lemon juice and lemon zest. The lemon juice gives it a light tartness so that the bars don’t become too sweet, and it just lifts the flavor of the mango. Like I said, I don’t normally enjoy mango but I LOVED these bars. Plus, I’m all about that thick cookie-to-filling ratio. Any one else love thick crusts as much as I do?!
Psst, follow along on Pinterest to see my favorite recipes!
Sara
This looks delicious! Can we use canned mango puree, or will that be too liquidy?
Holly Wade
SaraHi Sara! I have not tried this method but I believe it could work well. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it works out!
Janine Duerden
Hello, and this sounds like a great recipe! Can they be frozen?
Holly Wade
Janine DuerdenHi Janine,
I have not tried freezing the bars before. If you do try it, I would recommend not adding powdered sugar until they are thawed and ready to serve.
Marcela
First time making it and they turned out great! I did adjust the sugar for the filing because I used overripe mangoes. After they’ve cooled I cut and decorated but once I put them in the refrigerator, the sugar was gone I live in very humid and warm El Salvador – what did I do wrong?
Holly Wade
MarcelaSo glad they turned out well! They’re one of my favorite recipes! The powdered sugar dissolving is totally normal. Because the bars are kind of wet, they will dissolve the sugar when stored. If you want the powdered topping to stay visible, just apply right before serving.
Syd
Made these for Easter! Soo goood!
Holly Wade
SydYay! So glad you liked them – they’re still one of my favorite treats!
Jinky
Holly WadeDon’t you mean 9×13 baking Pan?
The recipe seems a little too much for a 9×9 square pan.
Thank you.
Holly Wade
JinkyI like to use a 9×9 pan because I prefer the bars very thick, but you can certainly make it in a 9×13 pan if you prefer. Just be sure to keep an eye on the baking time because they will be slightly thinner and may bake faster.