Date Bars

[bakechef]

My mom used to make these, she loves anything date filled. I remember her buying a "brick" of dates and sitting there cutting them up, and removing the stray pit. Now we have chopped dates in a bag, making this much easier!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9x13 inch cake pan.

Date Jam

You can make this ahead

3 cups (16oz) chopped and pitted dates
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) lightly packed brown sugar
1 (8 oz.)cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for about 5 minutes or until quite thick and "jammy". Set aside to cool a bit while you make the crust and topping.

Crust and topping

1 1/2 cups (7.5 oz) all purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats (3.25 oz) quick oats can be substituted
1 cup (7 oz.) lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 6 oz.) butter

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, walnuts, and salt in a bowl, mix to combine. Add butter that has been cubed into small pieces. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until no large chunks are visible, you can also do this with your hands, rubbing the flour into the other ingredients until you have a nice crumb topping with no visible large chunks of butter.

Set aside 2 cups of the crumb mixture, and put the remainder into the prepared 9x13 inch pan, using your hands pat it into the pan as evenly as you can to create a solid crust. Spread the date jam over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved 2 cups of crumb mixture evenly over the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into squares.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yum!!!!! Those sound wonderful! Love date anything, too!

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I forgot I miss eating these. You should enter these on your blog. Good for fall and holidays. I'd give em first prize and 2 thumbs up.

 

[Dawgluver]

My grandma used to make these all the time! Thanks BC!

 

[bakechef]

Thanks! I'll have to make them for the blog soon.

My mom's favorite are molasses cookies with this date filling.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I grew up with these and still make a small 8x8 pan around the holidays.

This basic recipe works well with a good quality jam instead of dates, blackberry is my personal favorite.

Whole cranberry sauce, from a can, and a couple chopped apples makes a quick filling.

It's gonna be a rough winter!

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I have a favorite date filled cookie, sour cream rolled thin like a cut out sugar cookie. Lay one cookie on the cookie sheet, a dab of date filling and top with a second cookie with a small circle or star cut out in the center. The date filling just peeks through. Only bake until done, they should crisp more as they cool, and they come out of the oven while still white, not browned ( too much). My Great Aunt made these, but we got the recipe from one of our friend' 's mom. The recipe is in my currently AWOL recipe box. So don't ask today.

All I remember this was a putzy rainy day recipe we didn't make too often, many steps and a siesta's worth of dough chilling and rolling dough out.

Bakeries make similiar, fold overs mostly, "date pillows" except the cookie part is not near as good. Bonus. I think I remember the recipe made a lot of cookies, even if the cookies were were double stacked like oreos.
I also remember they didn't last near as long as a batch of choc chip cookies. Not sure if this is a minus bonus, or is this a Plus.

Ooom I foresee dates in my future. Date Bread Too. I wonder if there is such a thing as pumpkin date bread. Who started this !?!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I have a favorite date filled cookie, sour cream rolled thin like a cut out sugar cookie. Lay one cookie on the cookie sheet, a dab of date filling and top with a second cookie with a small circle or star cut out in the center. The date filling just peeks through. Only bake until done, they should crisp more as they cool, and they come out of the oven while still white, not browned ( too much). My Great Aunt made these, but we got the recipe from one of our friend' 's mom. The recipe is in my currently AWOL recipe box. So don't ask today.

All I remember this was a putzy rainy day recipe we didn't make too often, many steps and a siesta's worth of dough chilling and rolling dough out.

Bakeries make similiar, fold overs mostly, "date pillows" except the cookie part is not near as good. Bonus. I think I remember the recipe made a lot of cookies, even if the cookies were were double stacked like oreos.
I also remember they didn't last near as long as a batch of choc chip cookies. Not sure if this is a minus bonus, or is this a Plus.

Ooom I foresee dates in my future. Date Bread Too. I wonder if there is such a thing as pumpkin date bread. Who started this !?!

We only got those at Christmas. Half a batch was made up as the hand pies that you describe. The other half was made up as date pinwheels by rolling out the dough similar to a pie crust, spreading the date jam on the dough and rolling it up. The roll was refrigerated overnight, sliced and baked the next morning.

 

[MrsLMB]

Thanks for sharing this one - it sounds sooooooooo yummy !

So I can see all kinds of trouble on my horizon ...first Whiskas snickerdoodles, then PF's fruitcake and now this

 

[tinlizzie]

Here's yet another variation on the date theme. These were only made at Christmastime.

Date Nut Bars

1/4 c melted butter
1 c white sugar
2 well-beaten eggs
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
a few grains of salt
1 c dates, cut fine
1 c nuts, cut fine (usually walnuts)

Bake in 8" square pan lined with waxed paper 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut in finger shapes and roll in powdered sugar while warm.

 

[Mad Cook]

My mom used to make these, she loves anything date filled. I remember her buying a "brick" of dates and sitting there cutting them up, and removing the stray pit. Now we have chopped dates in a bag, making this much easier!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9x13 inch cake pan.

Date Jam

You can make this ahead

3 cups (16oz) chopped and pitted dates
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) lightly packed brown sugar
1 (8 oz.)cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for about 5 minutes or until quite thick and "jammy". Set aside to cool a bit while you make the crust and topping.

Crust and topping

1 1/2 cups (7.5 oz) all purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats (3.25 oz) quick oats can be substituted
1 cup (7 oz.) lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 6 oz.) butter

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, walnuts, and salt in a bowl, mix to combine. Add butter that has been cubed into small pieces. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until no large chunks are visible, you can also do this with your hands, rubbing the flour into the other ingredients until you have a nice crumb topping with no visible large chunks of butter.

Set aside 2 cups of the crumb mixture, and put the remainder into the prepared 9x13 inch pan, using your hands pat it into the pan as evenly as you can to create a solid crust. Spread the date jam over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved 2 cups of crumb mixture evenly over the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into squares.

It's a small world. My mother used to make these from an identical recipe. I wonder where she found it. Perhaps she had a GI boyfriend during the war!

I think I might do them for my Christmas "Turkey-free Zone" brunch party.