Date bars is deliciously soft, chewy and buttery oatmeal bars layered with a sweet and sticky date filling. This old fashioned date bar recipe is easy to make and is the perfect cozy treat.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love baking with dates. The sweet, sticky and caramel notes bring incredible flavor to any recipe. My Date Nut Bread, Date Caramel, Date Cake, Date Cookies and Date Snickers and are some of my favorite date recipes on the blog. If you’re a fan of simple, cozy date recipes that are perfect for breakfast or dessert, this date bars recipe is for you.
- Layers of flavor and textures. Two things I adore about these date oatmeal bars is the layer of flavors. From the buttery cinnamon spiced crust and crumble to the sweet, sticky and caramel-y date filling, these old fashioned date bars will delight your senses.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. These date and oat bars are super simple to make. The crust and crumble topping are made from the same mixture. The date filling just needs to be cooked and cooled. Then all you have to do is assemble, bake, cool and enjoy.
Ingredients
This date bar recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Date Filling: Gather pitted dates, water, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice.
- Oat Crust and Crumble Topping: Gather flour, quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and butter.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended ingredient substitutions to make these easy date and oat bars if you need them.
- Dates: Feel free to use your preferred dates. I love using pitted medjool dates from Trader Joes.
- All Purpose Flour: Make these date squares gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off the weight of the flour (180 g) versus cup for cup.
- Baking Soda: Make sure the baking powder is fresh and in date.
- Ground Cinnamon: Feel free to use your preferred spices. I love cinnamon with the flavor of the dates and oats. However, ginger, nutmeg or a combination of spices such as apple pie or pumpkin spice would all work well.
- Quick Cooking Oats: I love the texture of the bars when using quick cooking oats. Feel free to use old fashioned or rolled oats if that’s what you have on hand. Pulse the oats in the food processor for 3 - 5 pulses to break them down into more of a quick cooking oats texture.
- Light Brown Sugar and Sugar: Maple sugar would also work well to make these oatmeal bars with dates refined sugar free.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
Variations
- Other Pan Sizes: Prepare the date bars as written in the recipe. For thicker bars, use a 9 x 9 pan. For a smaller batch, cut the recipe in half and use an 8 x 8 pan.
- Date Chocolate Chip Bars: Feel free to add 1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to the date layer after spreading the date filling onto the oatmeal crust.
- Date Orange Bars: Zest an orange into the date filling and the oat mixture. Replace ¼ cup of water with orange juice.
How To Make
Learn how to make date bars in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C). Line a 9 x 13 aluminum pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two longer sides. Leave some overhang of parchment paper. This will help the bars release from the pan more easily. Place the pitted and chopped dates in a sauce pan. Top the dates with water, sugar and lemon juice. Stir well to fully disperse the ingredients in the pan. Cook the dates over medium - low heat for about 10 minutes or until the dates break down and start to incorporate in the sugar water. The mixture should resemble a chunky paste. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cool the date mixture while making the oat crust and topping.
- Add the flour, oats, light brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients to combine. Add small cold cubes of butter to the mixture. Pulse again to work the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue to pulse the butter and dry ingredients together until a crumble texture forms.
- Press ½ of the oat crumble mixture into the prepared pan. Top the oat crust layer with the date filling. Top the date filling with the remaining ½ of the oat crumble.
- Bake the date oat bars for 20 - 25 minutes. Look for a lightly golden brown crust. Cool the bars in the pan to room temperature or about an hour. If the bars are too soft to safely lift out of the pan, transfer the pan to the fridge to set for another 1 - 2 hours. Use the parchment overhang to gently lift the bars out of the pan, slice and enjoy.
How To Store, Freeze, Thaw and Serve
- Store: Place leftover slices of date bars in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 2 days. After 2 days transfer the bars to the fridge for up to 3 more days.
- Freeze: Make sure the bars are completely cooled to room temperature. Place the date squares in a ziplock bag or other airtight, freezer proof container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the date oatmeal bars is to thaw the bars at room temperature or warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
- Serve: The best way to enjoy these sticky date bars is at room temperature. They’re also super delicious warm with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel or dusting of powdered sugar.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use a 9 x 13 pan metal pan. This recipe was created using an aluminum pan. If using a glass pan, reduce the baking temperature to 375 F (190 C). The baking time will increase slightly, 25 - 30 minutes.
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper. This helps to release the date oat cookie bars from the pan more easily.
- Add some flavor boosters. Feel free to add more cozy warming spices to the oat crust and crumble. Zest an orange into the date filling and the oat mixture. Replace ¼ cup of water with orange juice.
- Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the bars become very fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. Begin checking the date cookie bars at the minimum baking time.
- Fully cool the bars. In order for these date oat bars to hold together, they need to fully cool. Ideally these bars would cool for 1 hour at room temperature and an hour in the fridge.
FAQs
What are date bars?
Old fashioned date oatmeal bars are an easy to make oatmeal bar with a layer of date filling. The crust and topping are made from the same oat cookie mixture.
Are date bars healthy?
These cozy oat bars with dates have some elements that make them healthier. Dates are nutrient dense, have lots of antioxidants, fiber and are naturally sweet so less sugar is needed to make the filling.
Can I make these date bars in a different pan?
For thicker bars, use a 9 x 9 pan. For a smaller batch, cut the recipe in half and use an 8 x 8 pan.
Other Bar Recipes to Try
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
- Snickerdoodle Bars
- No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
If you try this Date Bars recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Date Bars Recipe
Date bars is deliciously soft, chewy and buttery oatmeal bars layered with a sweet and sticky date filling. This old fashioned date bar recipe is easy to make and is the perfect cozy treat.
Equipment
- 1 9x9 or 9x13 pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
Date Filling
- 3 cups (454 g) Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1½ cups (360 ml) water
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Oat Crust and Crumble
- 1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ cup (135 g) quick cooking or rolled oats
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C). Line a 9 x 13 aluminum pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two longer sides. Leave some overhang of parchment paper. This will help the bars release from the pan more easily.
- Place the pitted and chopped dates in a sauce pan. Top the dates with water, sugar and lemon juice. Stir well to fully disperse the ingredients in the pan. Cook the dates over medium - low heat for about 10 minutes or until the dates break down and start to incorporate in the sugar water. The mixture should resemble a chunky paste. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cool the date mixture while making the oat crust and topping.3 cups (454 g) Medjool dates, pitted and chopped , 1½ cups (360 ml) water, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For a smoother date fulling, transfer the date filling to a food processor. Process the mixture to smooth. Return the filling to the same bowl. wipe out the food processor before making the oat crumble.
- Add the flour, oats, light brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients to combine. Add small cold cubes of butter to the mixture. Pulse again to work the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue to pulse the butter and dry ingredients together until a crumble texture forms.1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour, 1½ cup (135 g) quick cooking or rolled oats, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt , 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Press ½ of the oat crumble mixture into the prepared pan. Top the oat crust layer with the date filling. Top the date filling with the remaining ½ of the oat crumble.
- Bake the date oat bars for 20 - 25 minutes. Look for a lightly golden brown crust. Cool the bars in the pan to room temperature or about an hour. If the bars are too soft to safely lift out of the pan, transfer the pan to the fridge to set for another 1 - 2 hours. Use the parchment overhang to gently lift the bars out of the pan, slice and enjoy.
Notes
Store: Place leftover slices of date bars in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 2 days. After 2 days transfer the bars to the fridge for up to 3 more days.
Date Chocolate Chip Bars: Feel free to add 1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to the date layer after spreading the date filling onto the oatmeal crust.
Date Orange Bars: Zest an orange into the date filling and the oat mixture. Replace ¼ cup of water with orange juice.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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