Just one question before we get to the actual recipe. Our son-in-law, who grew up in Australia and in the United States, wanted to know why we called squares "squares" because he had never heard the term used before. When I explained that a square was any kind of sweet made in a flat pan and cut into squares or rectangles, that was confusing enough. But then when we started talking about brownies (sweets made in a flat pan and cut into squares or rectangles, and never called "brownie squares"), he was even more baffled.
I thought the word "squares" was in universal use. Apparently not! What do YOU call sweet treats that are baked in a pan and cut into squares? I'm curious to know.
Pineapple Squares
Base:
1/2 c butter
3 T brown sugar or icing sugar (I've used both; they're equally good)
1 c white flour
Cream butter and sugar together; add flour and mix well. Press into bottom of ungreased 8 inch square pan (metal or glass). Bake at 350F - 375F for 10-15 minutes. Will not be browned, but will feel firm to the touch. Do not overbake. Cool before adding frosting layer.
Frosting layer:
1/4 c butter
3/4 c icing sugar
1/4 t vanilla
Cream butter; gradually add icing sugar and then vanillal mix well. Spread over base.
Topping:
1/2 c whipping cream
1 c crushed pineapple (or tidbits work too), well drained
Whip cream until soft peaks form, fold in drained pineapple, and spread on frosted base. Chill well before serving. Perishable, so store in fridge. Keeps at least four days.
As with any recipe, you may wish to tweak it to make it healthier, more decadent, etc. I usually make a bit more whipped cream in order to accommodate the entire can of pineapple that is closest in size to one cup, because otherwise the pineapple would go to waste and also because I like the topping part the best :)
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Good luck, River and anyone else who takes a run at making these. Any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.
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I couldn't find a picture of pineapple squares on the internet that looked even remotely like the ones this recipe makes, so instead here's a funny video of Louie the beagle making Christmas cookies . . . because Christmas is only thirteen and a half weeks away . . . . . . .
Thank you for the recipe. I also have an electric oven and I hate it, but I'm stuck with it. Where I grew up, things made in pans and cut into squares or rectangles were often called slice, for instance lemon slice, which I made recently, I guess because the slab was sliced for serving. I've never thought or heard of brownies being called slice or squares though they are always just brownies, very delicious and very popular.
ReplyDeleteExcess pineapple never goes to waste here, I put it on pizza, or use it in pineapple meringue pies, which are like lemon meringue pies, but the filling is pineapple not lemon. Or I just eat it.
That's interesting; we use the word slice only for bread and sweet loaves such as banana loaf. It's neat how names differ from place to place.
DeleteI would eat the pineapple too except it's one of the things I need to be careful how much I eat. It gives me a sore throat if I eat it by itself without a buffering food.
I'm thinking this would be good with very-well-drained crushed pineapple mixed into the base and then baked.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking your thinking sounds good :)
DeleteSuch decadent treats are slices rather than squares here.
ReplyDeleteChristmas? Wash your mouth out. I am so not ready to even start thinking about it.
River has mentioned about slices; see my reply to her.
DeleteI'm only thinking about Christmas because I stumbled on the video! . . . Sorry :D
PS: I believe your squares are traybakes in the UK.
ReplyDeleteAnd that makes sense, too, doesn't it?
DeleteHallo Jenny, the Pineapple Squares sound a bit too sweet for me, but I'm sure they are delicious for anyone with a sweet-tooth. I can understand why they're called squares if that is what they are.
ReplyDeleteOver here we call cakes that are baked in a shallow tin, tray-bakes. There were various recipes for tray-bakes in a book I bought in the 70s and I tried a couple of them at the time and the one that I thought was delicious was the carrot cake. I haven't had any as nice as that since and unfortunately the book is no more.
The only ones I can think of that are universal are Flapjacks and Yorkshire Parkin which have been made in trays since time began, lol.
The pineapple squares are surprisingly light-tasting (but not light in calories). The original recipe my mother had called for twice as much frosting in the middle layer; we use less because the original was very sweet.
DeleteTraybakes sounds like a sensible name. And I've never heard of flapjacks being made in a tray! Here we fry them (albeit in a non-stick pan with cooking spray, to cut the calories) and call them pancakes - ha ha
oh my these sound yummy. definitely not on my eating plan, but storing away for a rainy day.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Sigh. I take them to my potluck so I can have one and be done :)
DeleteFirst, as to semantics, squares is squares and that's all there is to it. If brownies were squares, they'd be called squares. Easy peasy.
ReplyDeletePineapple squares was an occasional childhood dessert, when every meal ended with dessert. Ours stopped at the first step, were browned, and featured a maraschino cherry baked into the pineapple's center. We used a lot of maraschino cherries!
I couldn't believe how many iterations of pineapple squares I found on the internet! All different.
DeleteI call them squares but don't think twice about calling them Nanaimo Bars.
ReplyDeleteSee, there's another confusing thing! Life is hard :)
DeleteI must try your pineapple dessert, it does sound very yummy. All my filled, capped and bridged teeth are sweet so this certainly appeals to me. We call them squares because somebody named them that and told us to cut them that way. Of course, you could place them on a plate at a diamond angle and you would have Pineapple Diamonds. Now that really sounds decadent.
ReplyDeleteIf I was running the world, I'd get you to be the official dessert namer - Pineapple Diamonds is a great name :)
DeleteYou remind me of a math joke my father, who was from Oklahoma, used to tell: Pi r squared? No, pie are round, cornbread are square.
ReplyDelete-Doug in Oakland
LOL! Let's see if I can remember that for more than my customary five minutes!
DeleteAnd there's another confusing thing - cornbread ARE square (or rectangular) but we'd never call it/them "squares", now would we?
I will makes these for the grandkids, Jenny.
ReplyDeleteSquares were always cookies to me.
Squares were cookies? Now my head really hurts :D
DeleteJust as a warning, kids don't seem to enjoy these, although maybe that's just the kids I've tried them on! Seem to be more of a big person taste.
This reminds me a little of a pineapple slice my mum used to make (although it's really nothing alike) mum's had a cooked shortbread base and was topped with crushed pineapple cooked into a semi solid gel type thing thickened with cornflour. We had whipped cream and grated chocolate on top.
ReplyDeleteThe naming traditions are interesting, you need a piece of something delicious to help get your head around it!
That sounds good and the flavours are probably similar. Yes, yes I do need a piece of something delicious, instead of the handful of dry pretzel sticks I am currently substituting for something delicious :)
DeleteThat sounds a lot like pineapple meringue pie, just substitute meringue for the whipped cream and bake of course to brown the meringue.
DeleteNo, no no! Meringue and whipped cream are not interchangeable! Naughty River :)
DeleteThanks for sharing the recipe, jenny_o. It looks delicious and I will have to share with my son, who is a budding cook, and see what he thinks. Also, thanks for sharing Louie. He's pretty awesome. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI haven't met a kid yet who does like these but, hey, all the more for the adults in the room, eh? :) I laughed at Louie through three viewings of that video!
DeleteThey are squares in Canada and brownies are just brownies...but the most common description for them in our house is 'gone'.
ReplyDeleteI hear you!
DeleteSquare: Meaning "square shape or area" is recorded from late 14c. (Old English), containing four equal sides and right angles, and if you want to get really ancient about it, Romans called squares "quadra". Beyond that, it's after midnight and I am delirious. Enjoyable bedtime post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll start calling squares "quadra" and see how confused I can make my people :D
DeleteI hope your delirium recedes soon!
Yum!
ReplyDeleteMe too, e :)
DeleteHah. My last comment vanished. It's slices here and whatever it is in other places.
ReplyDeleteToo early for that Christmas talk.
Alphie
Actually both comments came to me (and I deleted the extra when moderating) - I don't know why, but Blogger does that sometimes.
DeleteYes, too early for Christmas :)
Dear jenny_o, thanks for the Louie video; I laughed out loud! I can just see doing this with one of the cats with whom I lived. Chaos!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the recipe. I use the word "squares" for what I cut from a rectangular or square pan, how I don't say "Brownie squares," just "Brownies"! Isn't language a delight! Peace.
I'm glad I'm not the only one to laugh at the video! I suppose it wasn't much fun for the dog but then again he seems to have gotten a few bites of the dog cookie ingredients :)
DeleteLanguage is indeed a delight! Peace to you.
I think in the UK we'd call them slices too, not squares, which is a little strange as they are squares not slices. :D
ReplyDeleteUnless they're rectangles, which is what I do sometimes to make them smaller and more numerous :) The only thing we call slices are bread and sweet loaves. Strange!
DeleteI'd call them squares, just like you -- unless they were brownies. :)
ReplyDeleteYep :)
DeleteIn the UK, Brownies are just Brownies but we tend to use all words: slab, square, slice, round etc. We've got too many words!
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Maybe you could give some away :)
DeleteI call them 'yummy'. And that's good enough for me :)
ReplyDeleteThis recipe sounds delicious! Maybe I'll make it when we have guests and they could eat most of it, so all of it doesn't end up on my thighs :)
Silly Martha, that's cookies you're thinking of - lol (now I have the Cookie Monster song in my head)
DeleteThe thing I like about these squares is that they don't really taste overly sweet. That, and the whipped cream. That part is good, too :)
Ooh, that sounds yummy! I call everything but brownies "squares", too - must be a Canajen thing. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe just have no imagination, right? :D
DeleteYour son in law's question has logic :)
ReplyDeletethank you for incredible recipe
here sometimes voltage of electricity is not stable or quite below then an oven requires specially in winters which is annoying because baking is mostly fun during cold weather
yet i will try this one
lots of love and prays!
Our son-in-law's question opened my eyes to how our names for things may not make sense sometimes!
DeleteYou're so right, baking is much better done in winter! It helps to make the house cozy :)