Guava Bars Recipe

By
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is the former national editor at Serious Eats, with a focus on all things sweet.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Apr. 15, 2020
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Carrie Vasios

In these tropical bar cookies, a buttery shortbread base is topped with sweet guava paste, then finished with a lightly crunchy oat topping.

Recipe Facts

4

(1)

Active: 10 mins
Total: 60 mins
Makes: 12 to 24 bars

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Ingredients

  • For Crust:
  • 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (about 10 ounces) all purpose flour
  •  
  • For Topping:
  • 16 ounces guava paste, sliced to 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup (about 5 ounces) all-purpose flour

Directions

  1. Grease baking pan with butter. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. For Crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add salt and flour and beat until dough comes together. Press dough evenly into prepared pan.

  3. For Topping: Cover dough with slices of guava paste. In the bowl of a food processor, combine oats, butter, salt, and sugar. Pulse 10 times. Add flour and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Sprinkle over evenly over top of pan. Bake until top is golden, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Special equipment

food processor or electric mixer, 13- by 9-inch baking pan

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