Oatmeal and Date Bars

LUv 2 BaKE's Note:

Very moist almost brownie textured bars. The dates are mixed in with the flavourful oatmeal base. Great served warm.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1⁄3; cup sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1⁄8; cup vegetable oil (I use peanut oil)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (I also add 1/2 tsp maple extract)
• 1 ½ cups large-flake rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• ¼ cup skim milk powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄3; cup dates , chopped

Directions:

1. In a large bowl stir together applesauce, sugar, molasses, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth.
2. Stir in oats, flour, wheat germ, milk powder, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda; mix thouroughly; stir in dates.
3. Spray a 9 by 13" (3 1/2 L) baking dish with non stick spray; press batter into dish.
4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch.
5. Cut into bars when still warm.
6. Makes 16 servings.

Reviews

[chefdownunda]

Wow, these were really good. I made them to the recipe, except I didn't have skim milk powder so I had to omit it (now I think I will go ahead and buy the skim milk powder just for this). I actually didn't know what to expect when I made these in terms of consistency and was pleasantly pleased to find they're kind have a brownie consistency - kind of like a thick kind of chewy cookie. I had never used dates in baking before, and I found they had a nice toffee like flavor and kind of melted into a chewy caramel like consistency. I baked half the batch for the recommended time and the other half for about 10 minutes longer until golden brown on top. Cooking a bit longer kind of softened the flavors a bit (which was good as I found the molasses was somewhat strong), and it also gave them a perfect combination of crunchiness and chewiness which I personally just love. But either way, these were delicious. Thanks!

[Aimee88]

Great recipe. Being in England, I used treacle instead of molases and didn't have any milk powder, so I elminated that. I was pleased with the moistness and taste and my husband decided that with the addition of walnuts this would be a fine substitute for date walnut cake that he adores. I baked it in a smaller dish, so they were a bit thicker and cakier. Well done!

[Chef lady di]

I gave this recipe 5 stars because it is really really good tasting and a nice cake like texture. I especially liked that it was low in sugar and fat. I did make some modifications however to accommodate the tastes of my family. The molasses were replaced by maple syrup. I omitted the wheat germ, milk powder, cinnamon and baking soda. I added 1/4 cup of soya milk and upped the date content to 1 cup. I baked it in a deep dish pie plate for 30 minutes, same temp. This would make a great breakfast dish. It is really good warm.