These lilikoi (passionfruit) bars are similar to lemon bars. They are tart, tangy, and remind me of the Hawaiian islands!
I love lilikoi, which is passionfruit in Hawaiian. Something about that tangy yet sweet taste gets me every time. I have a soft spot for anything lilikoi, particularly when I am in Hawaii. However, passionfruit isn’t easy to find in the mainland.
When I was perusing dessert recipes for Mother’s Day (I bake my own dessert, after all), I came across a cake from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. It called for passionfruit puree, which I cannot easily purchase. I looked in my local Asian grocery store and didn’t see it. Finally, I decided to go online and bought it from a specialty vendor.
Unfortunately, the smallest container of passionfruit puree was 64 ounces. That’s a LOT of puree. I didn’t want to waste it, so we drank some (YUM) and I came up with this bar recipe. Don’t worry friends, I have at least one more passionfruit recipe to share with you soon.
But back to these bars. They are reminiscent of lemon bars, except with a passionfruit filling. I goofed on the crust and accidentally used half of the amount it called for (I was halving the original recipe and I guess my math skills were severely lacking that day). As a result, my crust was on the drier side and a tad crunchy. The flavor of the bars was otherwise wonderful.
Husband’s rating: 3 out of 5 (he would have given it a 4 or 5 if I had actually made the crust correctly)
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 4 out of 5
Lilikoi (passionfruit) bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Filling
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cups passionfruit puree
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease or line a standard 8"x8" baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Fold in the flour until no dry streaks remain. Transfer this to your prepared baking pan and press the crust into the pan.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until it turns golden brown.
Make the filling
- While the crust is baking, make the filling. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, and passionfruit until well blended. Fold in the flour until no dry streaks remain.
- Pour the filling on top of the baked crust. Turn the oven down to 325°F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are done. The top might appear slightly underbaked (and even a little wobbly) and that's OK. The filling will continue to set as it cools.
- Allow the bars to cool completely. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top, slice and serve.
Hello Eva,
My boyfriend and I will be having a Hawaiian stay-cation at the end of January since we cannot physically travel to Hawaii, and we will be baking those little treats to help us feel we are in our happy place.
Just looking at the photos transports me to Hawaii!
Thank you for sharing.
Author
What a fun staycation! Enjoy and aloha!
(Oops my email had a typo so resending. Please delete me earlier comment.)
Thanks for your recipe! Can I ask which vendor you bought the purée from? Was it high quality and fresh tasting and not sugary? I live in Hawaii and I’d like to send some to my daughter in CA who’s a chef. Thanks! Naomi
Author
Hi Naomi! I bought my purée from Primor Foods (on their website and not through a third party). A huge jug cost about $27. It is SUPER tart so it isn’t sweet at all.
I made this recipe and it was delicious. The only thing was the shortbread crust was hard. Any suggestions?
The bars were wonderful. The problem I had was the shortbread crust was hard. It was hard to cut the bars? I baked the crust for 22 minutes.
Author
If you like a softer crust, you can try baking the crust for less time.