Mix – Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Mix the sugar in first, then the egg. Then add everything else in one go (flour, baking powder, oats, coconut, salt) and mix until you can no longer see flour.
Mixed and 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 can. Press firmly to level the surface but no need to press super firmly (ie not like your favourite torture-but-highly-effective Chinese masseuse working on your back).
Mango tossing – Now we can prepare the mango layer! Sprinkle the sugar and cornflour across the surface of the mango and use your hands to gently toss to disperse.
Mangoes layer – Pour all the mangoes onto the base and spread out evenly.
Crumbly topping – Crumble the remaining topping across the surface. Larger crumbles = more high impact crunchy patches on surface and more mango exposure but slightly harder to cut neatly (I go for this, pictured). Smaller crumbles = easier to cut (more practical, better for impressing).
Bake for 30 minutes in a 180°C/350°F oven (160°C fan forced) until the surface is light golden.
Cool for 2 hours on the counter before drizzling with glaze, if using. (Speed things up – 30 minutes on counter, 30 minutes in fridge).
3. lime drizzle glaze
The trick with glazes is to make them just thin enough so they can be drizzled across the surface and they spread slightly, but thick enough to set so you can still see it. 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. So if your glaze needs thinning, only use 1/4 teaspoon at a time and mix it in thoroughly before adding more.
Drizzle randomly across the surface of the mango bars in any pattern you want.
Set and cut – Leave for 10 minutes to let the surface of the glaze set before cutting into 12 squares (normal, pictured) or 9 squares (greedy, always encouraged).
Mango bars with lime drizzle
I take it back – Lime Glaze is not optional
I think I have written in a few places that the lime glaze is optional.
I’d like to retract that / caveat it. It is optional – no I can’t force you to make it – but it’s highly, highly recommended. Not only does it add a finishing pizzaz to these Mango Bars, as all glazes do to all deserts, but the little pop of lime flavour plays so nicely with the mango and coconut. I tried putting the lime flavour into the mango filling but it just got lost.
Mango bars with lime drizzle
Embrace the mess
And lastly – be forewarned – it might get a little messy to eat if you take small nibbles. Crumble bars always are, but this one a little more than usual because of that generously juicy mango layer.
Solution is to either eat it in one or two big bites (my new taste testing team, my builders, opted for this) or embrace the mess (I opted for this).
Either way, it’s so enjoyable!
