These Kiwi Bars are a hit every single time! No need to offer up whipped cream or ice cream, the bar by itself is amazing on its’ own! These bars were completely inspired by my strawberry bars. Once I made the strawberry bars I knew that the slightly tart baked kiwi would be a great addition to the buttery crust!
Kiwi Bars
One of my favorite things about these bars is the crust.ย It is rich and buttery, and when paired with the kiwi topping, the contrast of rich butter and slightly sweet and tart kiwi filling does will do magical things.ย I have made this same crust with a strawberry and a rhubarb topping and the results are always the same.ย Amazing.
How to Make Kiwi Bars
There are basically two steps to make these kiwi bars.ย Both are simple, but I will break them down for you.ย Essentially, we need to nail the crust (step 1) and then the topping (step 2) is just a kicker!
How to Make the Kiwi Bar Crust
Simply combine flour, confectioners sugar, and cold butter in a bowl. I prefer to use my clean hands here, but you can absolutely use a food processor or a pastry cutter. There is just something so satisfying about making it yourself though. ๐ Once the ingredients are well combined and the butter pieces are no bigger than a pea, press the mixture into a prepared 8ร8 baking dish. (I used non-stick baking spray or GOOP.)
Thatโs it! Now on to the fruit topping
How to Make Kiwi Bar Topping
The topping really couldn’t be any easier as it only has 5 ingredients.ย You will need:
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Flour
- Salt
- Kiwi
Start by adding the first four ingredients to a bowl and mixing well.ย Then, grab a cutting board and cut your kiwis.ย ย (I am going to share with you how I cut kiwi for this dessert as it’s a bit different than you would expect!) Toss the kiwi in and stir by hand until everything is well combined.
How to Cut a Kiwi
Kiwi can be a little challenging to cut if you want to maximize getting all of the delicious fruit inside.
- Start with a sharp paring knife use it to cut off a little bit from both ends off the kiwi.
- Slice right down the middle, forming two halves.
- Slide a spoon between the flesh and the skin and slowly work the skin loose until it releases the fruit.ย It should slip right out of the furry exterior.
- Now cut the kiwi into 3 slices.
- Cut each slice into 6 pieces the same way you would cut a pizza. This ensures that each piece will get some of the white centers of the kiwi and the green fruit.
It takes just a little time but is worth it!
The Kiwi Bar crust should be done baking at this point, so carefully remove it from the oven. Pour the filling onto the hot crust and (using oven mitts) tap the dish on the counter so that it settles a bit. Place the bars back into the oven for 35-40 minutes. When it is done, the center should not jiggle and the kiwi should not be burned. I recommend checking the bars at the 30-minute mark. If they seem like they are getting too dark, (carefully!) place a piece of foil over the bars and continue baking.
Allow the bars to rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes before serving.
If you want to serve the bars warm from the oven, the filling will not be fully set. We prefer these bars warm (and with a little vanilla bean ice cream!) but they were messy.
If you want to refrigerate the bars and serve later, the filling will be fully set and you will get perfectly square pieces when you cut them out.
Admittedly, these are not the prettiest if you are going for presentation alone. But they taste seriously amazing and once everyone has had a bite they will be begging you for the recipe!
Variations for Kiwi Bars
(Recipe stays the same except for the fruit)
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars:ย 1/2 strawberry and 1/2 rhubarb
Kiwi Strawberry Bars:ย 1/2 strawberry and 1/2 kiwi (One of our favorites!)
Blueberry Bars:ย 1/2 strawberry and 1/2 blueberries (this is a SWEET combination)
Or, as I mentioned above, you can use this same recipe for all rhubarb, all strawberry, all blueberry, etc. When I made this recipe with blueberries I added a little lemon zest to the crust. There is just something about the blueberry lemon combinations!ย Again, not the prettiest, but definitely delicious. ๐
Looking for More Perfect Summer Desserts?
Blueberry Lemon Heaven Dessert
Kiwi Bars
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (42g) confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) cold butter, diced
FILLING
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup (250g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups sliced kiwis
Instructions
CRUST
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF.
- In a large bowl, blend the flour, confectioners sugar, and butter. You can use a food processor or pastry cutter, but I prefer my hands. You want the butter to be no bigger than a pea size and the ingredients to be well incorporated.
- Press into a 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. (The edges should just barely start to golden.)
FILLING
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat two eggs. Add sugar, flour, and salt and mix until combined.
- Gently stir in the sliced kiwis.
- Pour mixture over the hot crust. Bake for another 35-40 minutes or until filling is set.
- Allow bars to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. You can serve them warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
These were easy to make and the crust was fantastic. I cooled to room temperature and then put in the fridge for about 3 hours. But even after all this they were a mess!
My husband said the kiwi topping tasted like jam. We did not finish these.
Ran with a 50/50 mix strawberries and kiwis, itโs important to cook enough to get the topping to set, Really great result as a fruit, shortcake type desert, will definitely make it again.
I used only a cup of sugar, hands down my new favorite dessert. My dad can’t stop saying wow. Gone within twelve hours, mostly by me ๐
I’m so glad to read this! It is one of my favorite desserts as well!
6/25/21 I made this recipe exactly as recommended, but had a really hard time getting the topping to set. I baked for an additional 15 minutes (55 total) but was concerned about the crust burning. I will try again with the modified sugar mentioned in the comments and perhaps the 50/50 strawberry split. The flavor was tart, think key lime pie, and the crust was excellent. It just looked awful.
I have not made the recipe yet but plan to. Was thinking of adding some corn starch to the kiwis thinking that might help them โsetโ so it wonโt be so messy. Has anyone else tried this?
Amazing!! This recipe tastes great and my whole family loves it. My only complaint is that the kiwis take a long time to peel
Hi there i dont have confectioners sugar what can i substitute for it? Or will i not be able to make this dessert?
You can make it by adding 1 cup of granulated sugar to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Combine the two in a high-powered blender until you have a soft, powdery consistency, or confectioners sugar.
The topping did not set. Next time I need to add more flour, starch or something.
Next time I will process the kiwis and drain off most of the liquid. The taste is good but the filling is too soupy to cut in bars.
I baked it for the time per the recipe, gave it a jiggle, bumped the temperature to 375ยฐF, added 20 minutes. Then added another 15 minutes, and it seemed to be set, didn’t jiggle when I shook it. Let it cool for an hour. Went to cut it and it was still soupy in the middle.
I’ve got it back in at 375ยฐF, see what another half hour does.
The flavor is wonderful, but the receipt needs tweaking to make it set up.
I made it again, sort of. No Kiwis, but Gravenstein apples. I inncreased the flour in the filling to 1/2 cup, more than that would make it unworkable.
Increased bake time to 65 minutes. A butter knife came out moist with a touch of batter on it. Any longer in the oven and the would have been scorched and tough. After about an hour it had set up, still very moist but not runny. Can be eaten with the hands, but plate and fork would be better.
This one is a keeper. Mostly because it is very easy to play with, and I think just about any fruit could be used. Even frozen fruits and berries, as long as you let them thaw and drain. Maybe use the liquid drained off to make a glaze or drizzle for it.
Good feedback! Thanks for sharing and giving it another go, Joe!