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.
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