Stellar flavour combination that screams of summer!
That mango layer is everything juicy and generous.
The annual mango recipe!
Mango Bars assembled and ready to bake!
Lets chalk up the three-year gap to the pandemic and officially get back on track.
Presenting the summer of 2025 mango recipe: MANGO BARS!!!
But thats part of the fun!!
Ingredients for Mango Bars
Heres what you oughta make the mango bars.
Mango filling
You will need two, big, ripe mangoes for this recipe.
And yes, it can be made with canned mango!
Mangoes Use any variety you like.
And it goes without saying the sweeter and riper they are, the better!
Canned mango Use mangoes in unsweetened juice if it’s possible for you to, so its less sweet.
Drain well in a colander then use per the recipe, cutting if needed to make the slices thinner.
Cut them into ~6mm / 1/4 cubes.
We only use 1 1/2 teaspoons (dont go overboard else it makes the mango layer unpleasantly gluey).
Sugar I know it sounds insane to add sugar into sweet ripe mangoes, but hear me out!
Discovered after multiple attempts of making a sugar-free filling and not being thrilled with the mango layer!
So, yes to the oats!
Flour Just regular plain / all-purpose flour.
Desiccated coconut Or finely shredded coconut.
Just not coconut flakes, they are too large.
Mango Bars assembled and ready to bake!
Also, yo use unsweetened.
Oats Regular plain rolled oats aka traditional oats.
Not steel cut, not quick cooking, and not flavoured ones.
If using salted, just skip the salt.
Sugar Just half a cup (100g) of white sugar.
The crust will just be a pale brown and the surface gets a little more colour.
Egg Makes the mixture bind together.
No need to bring to room temperature in this recipe.
More on eggs for bakinghere.
Salt Standard baking ingredient these days, to bring out the flavours in the other ingredients.
Slicing slice the cheeks into 3 4 mm / just shy of o.2 thick slices.
Too thin = breakage when tossed, too thick = slippery and harder to cut/eat.
(Speaking from experience here).
(If short of the amount required, cut the flesh around the seed and use that too).
Measure Measure out 2 1/2 cups (400g) mango slices into a bowl.
The slices will flop and fold into a measuring cup so its pretty accurate.
Dont fret about some breakage.
Then set aside.Do not toss with sugar yet.
The mango will sweat and get too watery.
Base & crumb (same mixture)
We are using the same mixture for the base and crumbly topping.
The mixture is a little wetter when its first mixed and pressed into the base.
Mix Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave.
Mix the sugar in first, then the egg.
Mixedand ready to use!
Press Measure out 1 3/4 cups of the mixture into measuring cups.
(The remaining mixture is used for the topping).
Press into the base using your hands, level it as best you’ve got the option to.
Mango tossing Now we can prepare the mango layer!
Mangoes layer Pour all the mangoes onto the base and spread out evenly.
Crumbly topping Crumble the remaining topping across the surface.
Smaller crumbles = easier to cut (more practical, better for impressing).
Bakefor 30 minutes in a 180C/350F oven (160C fan forced) until the surface is light golden.
Coolfor 2 hours on the counter before drizzling with glaze, if using.
Prevent screen from sleeping
(Speed things up 30 minutes on counter, 30 minutes in fridge).
If the glaze is too thin, it spreads and sinks into the cake/bars etc and disappears = disappointing.
Mixing Put the icing sugar, lime zest, juice and vanilla in a bowl.
Then mix with a small whisk until throughly combined.
Consistency Goal: honey consistency, not maple syrup which is too thin.
Glazes can go from too thick to too thin with just the tiniest amount of extra liquid.
Drizzlerandomly across the surface of the mango bars in any pattern you want.
Id like to retract that / caveat it.
Itisoptional no I cant force you to make it but its highly, highly recommended.
I tried putting the lime flavour into the mango filling but it just got lost.
Either way, its so enjoyable!
Nagi x
Mango Bars FAQ
Development woes?
Err, yes, Surprising number!
I also had to play around with achieving the right texture for the mango layer.
Every other recipe I saw called for the mango to be chopped.
I wasnt a fan of the texture after baking (a bit too gluey-mushy especially with cornflour added).
I tried playing around with the cornflour amount but that didnt solve it.
Slicing the mango rather than dicing it turned out to be my preference.
It also made the mango layer more assertive and really in-your-face which is what I wanted!
Can this be made gluten free?
So confident it will work!
I dont like my desserts too sweet
Me neither.
Will this work with other fruits?
Peaches and nectarines would be a direct substitute for this recipe.
For fresh or frozen berries, I recommend using theFresh Strawberry Barsrecipe which is made using fresh strawberries.
If using jam, use theRaspberry Jam Barsrecipe.
Can I use canned mangoes?
Yes you’ve got the option to!
Id also recommend using mangoes canned in unsweetened juice rather than syrup which can be quite sweet.
What about frozen mango?
It gets too soggy and mushy when thawed.
How long does it last?
5 days in the fridge, though after 2 days the base does soften from the mango juices.
I know, I know, break out the violins, my life is sooo hard ).
Lets make the most of them while weve got em!
Life of Dozer
True love is giving up the mango seed:
Also too much?