Katie's Date Bars

Double the recipe and cook in a jelly roll pan.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients

• CRUST

• 1 1⁄2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1  cup brown sugar
• 1  cup butter (melted)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• FILLING

• 1⁄2 lb dates ((Date nuggets from Trader Joe's)
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 2  tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. FILLING: If using whole dates, pit dates and quarter. Cook dates, water, and lemon juice together for 5 minutes. (Water is approximate; need enough to almost cover dates.) Add sugar and cook 1 minute more. Cool.
2. CRUST: Mix together all crust ingredients. Pat half into the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Cover with date filling and pat on rest of crust mixture. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut while still a bit warm.