Date Squares

Submitted by evelynathens

"I used to scout out date squares at bake sales when I was a kid. Definitely my favourite bar. I love the textures and flavours; buttery, crumbly crust; sweet, sticky date filling. A treat all the time!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 24

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups pitted dates
• 1 1⁄2 cups orange juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup pecans
• 1 1⁄2 cups old fashioned oats

directions

1. Simmer dates in orange juice and cinnamon for 30 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. (be careful not to scorch mixture if it gets too thick)
2. Combine flour, salt and brown sugar and cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in coconut, nuts and oats.
3. Press half of dough mixture into bottom of 9 x 13 inch pyrex baking dish. Pat dough flat with a sheet of wax paper on hand.
4. Spread date mixture to within a half inch of edges.
5. Top with remaining dough and flatten lightly with wax paper on hand.
6. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190C) oven for 45 minutes, or until golden.
7. Let cool in pan and cut into 24 bars (4 long strips cut by 6 shorter strips).

Reviews

[Diana 2]

My search for the *BEST* date square has finally ended. I just love the addition of coconut and pecans in the crumb mix. Right up my alley. Another plus is the fact that it is not overpowered by the dates. Fantastic. I used pre-chopped dates (no where near as messy as cutting your own) and they only took 20 minutes to thicken up. I also cut the recipe in half (since I'm the only one in the house that loves these) and baked in an 8x8 glass pan for 40 minutes. These cut better than any other recipe I've tried too. All around.....*THE* best! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderul recipe!

 

[Karna H.]

These date squares are AWESOME! I was hesitant because of the orange juice in them but they are so good I couldn't stop eating them! I highly recommend them! I would recommend either making Double or at least one and a half times the filling or just cut the crust in half because I found there was a lot more crust than filling....but the crust is so good I didn't care :o) If you like a lot of crust then just leave it as it is. Enjoy!

 

[DGBinns]

Far too much square, not enough date.<br/><br/>I half the crumble ingredients leaving the dates/orange juice/cinnamon as is. Much better result.

 

[Tiggrr]

These date squares were a wonderful addition to my dessert tray for Christmas. I loved the hint of orange with the dates and adding the coconut and walnuts to the crumb mix really heightened the flavour. I did make an oops, in the fact that I forgot the oatmeal in the bottom crust. After putting it all together I realized my mistake so did take some oatmeal and gently stirred it in the top crust with a fork. They baked up perfectly and no one noticed the difference. Thanks for a wonderful recipe Evelyn!

 

[La Dilettante]

Excellent! The only change I made was a dash of vanilla after simmering the dates. My husband, who is IN LOVE with anything "oat-y" adored these with his morning coffee. Even though I'm not really a "sweets" person, I nabbed a couple and enjoyed them, too!