Pineapple Marshmallow Squares

This no-bake recipe requires only four ingredients and about ten minutes of your time. Pineapple Marshmallow Squares are soft, moist, and chewy. They are great for freezing and can be prepared weeks or even months in advance! Optionally, add a splash of rum for a Christmas in the tropics flair!

This one might seem a bit strange when it comes to being considered a Christmastime treat. But, it’s not strange in the home of most Newfoundlanders. My mom used to make pineapple-flavoured treats for Christmas every year. When it came to a no-bake confection – especially one that used crushed cookies and canned crushed pineapple – my mother was totally on board, so I know she would have loved these Pineapple Marshmallow Squares!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the bars and squares recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. My third series this year is the second volume of my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas! You can find the first bars and squares series here! Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 12 BARS AND SQUARES OF CHRISTMAS – Volume 2

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the third of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas – Volume 2! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family.

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Arrowroot Cookies – Here’s a link to what they look like!
• Canned Crushed Pineapple – Make sure the pineapple is very well drained!
• Marshmallows – Use mini white marshmallows. You can use vegan marshmallows too, which is what I’m using here.
• Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low-fat condensed milk.  Depending on where you live, the size of the can may differ. 

HOW TO MAKE PINEAPPLE MARSHMALLOW SQUARES

Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Once the confection is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into squares.

Begin by draining the pineapple. The canned crushed pineapple must be drained well otherwise you will have too much liquid in the mixture to form a square or bar. I prefer to line a colander with cheesecloth and transfer the pineapple to it. Picking up the sides of the cheesecloth, I twist and force as much of the juice out of the pineapple as possible. Transfer the well-drained crushed pineapple to a mixing bowl.

Transfer the arrowroot cookies to a food processor and pulse until you are left with fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to the mixing bowl with the pineapple. Add the mini white marshmallows to the mixing bowl as well. Use a spoon to mix those ingredients together. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the bowl and stir it well into the other ingredients until everything is well mixed and incorporated.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press it in so that you have a very flat, firm layer. Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour before cutting into squares. Package and a food-safe container and keep refrigerated.

NO-BAKE RECIPES

I used to think that the term no-bake meant that a recipe was more of an assembly-type recipe. Something like a salad, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? Toss the lettuce and any other veggies you want into a bowl. Top it with cheese, croutons, avocado, hard-boiled egg, etc. Add some dressing and you’re all done! But, no-bake actually just means no baking. There still might be some stove-top cooking needed – or even a microwave, for that matter. To prepare these Pineapple Marshmallow Squares, you will not need to use your stovetop or microwave!

Some other no-bake-type holiday recipes you might enjoy are these Rudolph’s Red Nose Cookies. Hairy Moose Droppings are delicious and always quite the conversation starter! Just like these Caramel Peanut Slices were a favourite of my mom’s so were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and so were these Christmas Crunch Cookies. You can find many more no-bake cookie recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen by using the search field at the top of this page.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can be accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room-temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

CANNED CRUSHED PINEAPPLE

It’s very important to get as much moisture out of the crushed pineapple as possible. Failing to do so might mean that there is too much moisture content in the mixture. This may cause difficulty when trying to cut out the squares. If the mixture has too much moisture, no amount of refrigeration is going to firm it up enough so that you have nice uniform squares in the end.

Here’s how I do it. Before I get started with anything else, I open the can of crushed pineapple and dump the contents into a fine mesh strainer. Don’t use a colander, because you may lose most of your pineapple down the drain. Use a rubber spatula to press the pineapple against the side of the strainer, pushing as much of the water out as you possibly can. Set it aside and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

When you’re ready to add the pineapple to the cookie mixture, give it another go with the spatula. You might find that once the pineapple has time to sit, it may release more moisture. Once you squeeze it again, it’s ready to add to the cookie mixture.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely firm, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  You can freeze these for up to three months.

If you plan to give previously frozen bars or squares as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!