Last updated on October 10th, 2024.
These Poppy Seeds Bars are made of soft, crumbly and buttery short crust dough topped with a crunchy layer of wonderfully dark poppy seeds.
As mentioned above, the base for this recipe is short dough, did you ever wonder why short dough is called short dough?
The reason is pretty simple. The “short” description refers to the length of the gluten threads in the dough. Because of the high fat portion and lack of leavening, the gluten threads do not develop and remain “short”. Which is the reason why we get a tender, crumbly and melt in your mouth crust.
This Poppy Seeds Bars recipe it is actually a German treat also knows as “Mohn Bars”. The best thing about this dough is that you can adopt it for many different bars, cookies and desserts.
You can use this dough to bake any kind of fruit bars or roll it to bake Rugelach, like these Fig Regulach. And any filling leftovers to make these Beigli, poppy seeds rolls.
Now lets talk about this Poppy seeds Bars recipe:
- It is important to allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 1 hour. This will ensure the rich and crumbly texture of the bars.
- Add 1-2 tsp of lemon zest for a bit more flavor when you mix the butter and sugar.
- For non-dairy options use vegetable shortening instead of butter.
- If you notice that the filling and/or the streusel are starting to get dark too soon, cover the pan with foil paper. Remove the foil immediately when done baking to avoid condensation.
- You can find Poppy Seeds filling in the bakery aisle at your local market.
HAPPY BAKING!!!
Here are some more recipes from the Jewish Bakery you might enjoy:
One more thing…
Don’t forget to tag @OneSarcasticBaker on Instagram if you bake this recipe. Would love to see your creations!
Mohnkuchen (Poppyseed Shortbread Bars)
Ingredients
Make the Dough
- 2 Sticks Unsalted butter, soften (226g)
- 1/2 Cup Sugar (100g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 2 3/4 Cups AP Flour (340g)
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Poppy Seed Filling
- 1 Cup Whole poppy seeds (120g)
- 1/2 Cup Powdered sugar (60g)
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted softened butter (55g)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Crumbs Topping
- 2 TBS Sugar (25g)
- 2 TBS Butter ir shortening soften (28g)
- 1 1/2 tsp Honey
- 1/3 Cup AP flour (40g)
Instructions
- In a food processor, process the sugar and butter until incorporated.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl then add it to the food processor followed by the egg and vanilla extract.
- Pulse the mixture until a dough is formed.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Preheat oven to 375F Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Roll the dough and flatten it evenly inside the baking pan. Using a fork prick it thoroughly and bake it for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Make The Toppings
- Place the poppy seeds filling ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth paste is formed.
- Use a fork to mix all of the crumbs topping together until you have a lumpy mixture.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C)
- Evenly spread the filling and sprinkle the crumbs on-top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the streusel is slightly golden brown. Allow the bars to completely cool before slicing.
Notes
- Use a store-bough filling if available to you. (1-2 cups depending how thick you wish your filling to be)
- For a thicker layer of filling, double the filling layer.
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature, and always use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.
- Brush the topping with beaten egg yolks for a more vibrant topping color.
- The cake is ready when the topping is golden brown, and the edges of the crust should be set. If unsure, insert a toothpick into the filling; it should come out mostly clean.
- You can use ground poppy seeds instead of whole poppy seeds but note it will enhances the bitterness of the seeds.
- Add 1/2 cup of fine ground almonds to the flour mixture for an extra nutty flavor.
- This recipe can be used to make one 8×8-inch cake, or 9×9-inch cake, and can be sliced into 12-16 pieces. You can also use an8, or 9 inch springform pan. Another option is to se a 9×13-inch baking pan, it will be thinner and I recommend doubling the filling recipe. Make sure the pans are at least 2.5 heigh.
