Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday, I may look forward to stuffing, green bean casserole and all the pie the way normal people might anticipate Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day, but there is definitely a point — let’s call it right now — when I’m about at capacity with fresh fun ideas for soft orange vegetables and clever new ways to swim foods in puddles of rich sauces. Also, I still need to eat.
Thus, when I was supposed to be pondering turkey this week, I instead went down a date bar rabbit hole. Date squares, aka matrimonial bars, slices or cakes, are one of these old-school cookies that I imagine at some point were so ubiquitous, everyone forgot to mention them because you barely hear about them anymore. I get that they don’t summon the kind of fervor of salted chocolate chunks cookies, three-ingredient peanut butter domes and brown butter cereal treats but I have a deep affection for — how can I put this politely — Grandma Cuisine, you know, the kinds of food steeped in nostalgia for the 70-plus set, and I believe there’s a time and place for all cookies, even the hopelessly old-fashioned ones.
Currently, I’ve decided that place should be breakfast. Hear me out: there are oats and there is a lot of fruit, i.e. my breakfast minimums have been met. Plus, with a little tweaking, there’s less sugar, you can use a slightly more wholesome fat instead of butter, whole wheat flour instead of white and then, because the season requires it, I really enjoyed adding some orange zest and winter spices to make this feel especially of the moment.
Because that moment — the busiest cooking season of the year — is great fun but can also be exhausting. I’m going to assume that as you’re the kind of person who ends up reading a site like this, you’re likely to be cooking for people this week as well and you, my friend, have to take care of yourself. Treat yo self! as the under-70 set says. This is a good place to start; make a double batch of these, put half in the freezer for a few weeks from now, half in the fridge for the week to come to ensure you eat more than stuffing scraps this week and maybe have a quiet little grandma moment with them too — a fancy plate, a cup of tea, a seat by the window, a sweet view — because as far as I’m concerned, it’s no celebration unless you get to enjoy it too.
Date Breakfast Squares
We cut these into 12 bars.
For the filling
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon finely grated orange (or mandarin or clementine) zest
For the crumbs
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup raw or turbinado sugar
1/2 cup olive oil, coconut oil, melted butter or a mix of the above
3/4 cups rolled oats, I used quick-cooking but old-fashioned should work just fine
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour, or a wholegrain flour mix of your choice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
A pinch or two of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Either grease bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch pan or line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, combine dates, water and zest over low heat, simmering for 5 to 10 minutes, until liquid has absorbed and mixture has thickened. Set aside while you make the crumbs.
In a large bowl, mix the sugars and oil or butter together. Add the oats, flour, spices, baking soda and salt and stir to combine; the mixture should form a coarse rubble.
Press half into the bottom of your prepared pan. Dollop the date mixture over it and use a small offset spatula (or whatever you have on hand) to spread the mixture smoothly over the crumbs. Don’t worry if the crumbs move around a little underneath; these bars don’t require perfection. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over date layer and press lightly to cover.
Bake bars for 25 minutes, or until light brown at the edges. Cool in pan. Cut into squares. They’ll keep just fine at room temperature but will last up to a week in the fridge and longer in the freezer.
How did you know I have dates languishing in the fridge! I will definitely be making these.
You’re totally on a date kick, eh? We’re having the cabbage salad for Shabbat dinner tonight and I can’t wait.
I actually make a similar bar, but mine’s with dried apricots, seeped with either honey or maple syrup. But it also has the oats and whole wheat flour for the bar part. Found the recipe in a total 1970s hippie dessert cookbook from the restaurant The Common Ground. The place was in Burlington, VT, and my mom would take me there when I was a kid. She’s going to be 70 tomorrow, so I guess I should be sending her a care package of these. ;)
Hi, The Common Ground was in Brattleboro, not Burlington! :)
I love your breakfast squares and I am really tempted to try them. We eat lots of dates in our household and my children will love these! I love your blog and I have been following you for a long time. Fantastic recipes ☺
Not long ago, I made some Smitten Kitchen inspired Oatmeal Cookies with dates, orange zest, and the above spices plus a little cardamom. I was told that those were the best cookies in the world! These date squares will knock their socks off!! I will definitely use these for Thanksgiving morning when I am asked, “What can we have to eat until the turkey is done?” Thanks Deb, for having the same “Grandma Quisine” desires as the rest of us. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy that extra person at the table (or in the bouncy seat close by) this year. She is beautiful and it looks like Jacob is such a great big brother! You have a wonderful family!
You probably aren’t old enough to remember but at one point Betty Crocker had a mix for a version of these which was pretty good. These sound better.
I remember that. I would stock up at Christmas.
Oh my, I remember that mix. Had not thought of them in years. Thank you!
Grandma cuisine is a great place to go, because grandmas know what’s up. These look like a very reasonable treat- wholesome enough to make a regular appearance, and tasty enough to be a welcomed treat. Yum.
Oh, my, these are my Kryptonite. Fair warning to my fellow readers to watch out for the health halo effect with things like dates and oats, though. I calculated the recipe and 1/12 (one small bar) is 330 kcal!
That’s workable for a breakfast or an indulgent dessert, but good to be aware of. It would be easy to assume these were a lot lower-calorie than that, given the healthy-looking ingredients.
I’ve gotta disagree with Wendy.
I used all dark brown sugar, 8.5 oz of dates, and coconut oil for the fat, and estimated 2558 kCal in the recipe, or approximately 213 kCal per 1/12 bar.
My favorite Hallmark quote “When things are bad and getting worse, keep a cookie in your purse”. These date squares would fill the bill. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and do enjoy the best holiday of the year (no costumes, no gifts, no extreme decorating, just plenty of the best food ever!).
What do you think about subbing raisins for the dates? Or even maybe dried cranberries? My toddler loves dried fruit and we’ve been on a baking kick lately and are totally out of dates. PS — raisin pie. Try it. Love it. You’re welcome.
Have made a similar recipe many times with raisen filling and they are equally tasty! I need to make these soon!
Fabulously smart. Making these this weekend for sure to have around!
Deb: On the note of “all the pies,” I thought to ask you: How do you store your pumpkin pie? There seems to be a norm to hold it in the fridge, but Rose Levy B says a few days at room temp! Opinions?
My grandmother made not one but *two* different kinds of date cookies every year for the holidays. Date bars (which were kinda sorta like your date squares here) and date sticks, which were cut in narrow rectangles and rolled in powdered sugar. I remember both varieties being kind of dry and not something I ever got excited about, but now that I’d deep into my 30s and haven’t eaten them in about 20 years, I begin to wonder what I’d think of them now. You’ve inspired me to dig through my mom’s recipe box at Thanksgiving to see if I can find the recipes.
I was just feeling nostalgic for my Mom’s date squares, and these look like they might fit the bill perfectly! Thank you!
Hi Deb- not only great for Thanksgiving but also for the challenging time ahead of me: about to go back to work after 4 lovely months of maternity leave. I previously made your other cereal bars and loved them, these will add some variety to my morning snack selection. Is it necessary to use raw sugar? This ingredient isn’t widely available in
South Africa where I live. Could I substitute brown or muscavado sugar instead?
Hi Anne — I know this reply is nearly 2.5 years late, but I just made these. I didn’t have raw sugar in the house, but I did have coconut sugar which was a little closer in texture to raw sugar than regular sugar. And the coconut sugar was great!
Hmmm…wondering if prunes would work well in these bars, instead of dates.
I remember people using apricots in this kind of bar. I am a fan of them so I think they would be good. I love date bars though, so no substitutions for me! these and the date filled oatmeal sandwich cookies that I haven’t made for a long time..better get that old recipe out!
I found this recipe precisely because I just visited Holyland and saw their big bag of dates!
Grandma here. You’re hitting it out of the park with your recipes this season.Many thanks. Have a great Thanksgiving with your beautiful family.
I so loved my grandmother’s matrimonial bars and have been meaning to make them forever. And … dates in the pantry. #NoResistance
Our family also has a old matrimonial cake recipe that are really date bars. Do you know why they’re named matrimonial? As adults we’ve always wondered but didn’t know enough to ask when we were kids.
Hi Deb,
I’m an East Villager (maybe you’re not too far away) and since you’re a big fan of dates I wanted to tell you about the incredible Israeli Holyland Market on St Marks: http://www.yelp.com/biz/holyland-market-new-york
They are not big on welcoming storefront displays but inside are the best, juiciest and cheapest bags of dates you can imagine, fresh pita that are out of this world as well as these tiny savory pastries with flavors like olive, pizza, potato and spinach. It’s also wonderful for filling up your stores with Tahini and other Middle-Eastern favorites. I know you are a fan of Kalustyan’s but this would be a great additional arrow in her quiver.
Best,
Tracey
I ended up here because I just visited Holyland and saw their incredible looking dates!
Can’t wait to try these as I love dates. My favorite cold cereal includes them and I always add them to your recipe for chewy granola bars.
While most people think of this as pumpkin season, I think of it as date season. I love them…just like a Grandma! (which I am now and am loving it!) I had been thinking of sending you an email to try to persuade you to make and add your spin to, Krispy Date Bars. You must google it. They take Rice Krispy treats to a whole new level as a cookie with a brown sugar shortbread base and a cream cheese frosting. Honest to God, they are just the best!
This is such a handy recipe! I never have time to make myself a normal breakfast, but this I can just eat while driving to work. Thanks :)
Deb–for the fat, what combo/ingredient did you go with? My go to is melted butter…or butter/olive oil combo.
Ok, it looks delicious. Just one question: if I don´t put dates but something else, do I need to change a little the other ingredients? Because dates are quite dry, but if I put something with more water inside it might get messy…
https://pandaonavespa.wordpress.com/
My grandma and I made date cookies and date everything all winter long, and I used to nab a few date bars when my college cafeteria kitchen made them occasionally. So if you tag things “Grandma Cuisine” from here on out, it will be pretty sure to catch my eye. :) Thanks for reminding me how much I love these and how long it’s been since I made anything like them.
Oh goody! I’m down to 2 blueberry scones in the freezer and was thinking that I need to make more this weekend, but these look yummy for a real treat at breakfast and perfect for the holidays. I’ll do half now and half in the freezer as you suggest!
Seriously Grandma Cuisine is the best cuisine! I love fancy, artisanal la, di, dah too but the best stuff is the stuff from your childhood. My grandma’s stuffing and pies this week, holiday cheese ball, her soup made from turkey leftovers. That’s the important stuff!
My Grandma Laura’s date squares are all my aunt ever wants me to bring to her house when I offer to make something. Her recipe uses some lemon juice when you stew the dates, orange would work well too.
Yay! So glad to have this recipe. We always called these Date Mumbles and they are one of those great cookies that fell out of favor for a time, like snickerdoodles. I spent most of the ’90s searching out old cookbooks with recipes for snickerdoodles. Thank god for the interwebs, savior of old cookies. Now for a hermit cookie revival!
Oh wow, we get fresh dates at the local health food store (and WF’s has them in their boxed nuts and snacks section) and they are perfect for this, thank you! Also love the addition of orange zest.
Hi, Deb! These look tempting! I have recently decided to cut on refined flours and sugar as I have a high probability of developing diabetes type II (all women in my family have it). This recipe looks like a good one to try, but I was wondering if it was a good idea to exclude the sugar. Do you think it would work out? Thank you for your marvellous blog! For some years now, I look at it as my first online resource as a reference cookbook!
Perfect for when we eat breakfast in the car during our mad dash to school.
Hello! I like dates, but these can get a bit too sweet for me, but I LOVE figs. Can I easily replace the dates for Figs? Oh… And what about cranberries??? Or dried apricots? (Gosh, looks like I’m now going down the breakfast bar rabbit hole myself!). These look delicious and great for my breakfast. I can see myself eating these in the car on my way to work (and thus enabling me to actually eat breakfast in the morning).
Those look delicious! What a great way to incorporate dates!
oh yum. That Grandma Moment sounds wonderful! on it :) What do you think the lowest amount of sugar I could go is? Also, you could totally add a vegan tag to these!
why is it that you alway make the things that are on my mind as well …. I was thinking of making date squares yesterday ( haven’t made them in ions) and boom smitten kitchen rises to to the occasion… alway spot on Deb.. always !
Holy wow. These not only look very, very delicious, but they remind me of the date bars that kept me from losing my mind in the first few months of my son’s life. He was a very, very hungry little guy (that hasn’t changed!) — long and skinny — and ate a lot. Date bars much like these got me through the pre-solid food nursing day. So I think I’ll make them and take a walk down memory lane. And maybe I’ll share them with my now 13 year old.
We don’t do Thanksgiving here in Australia, but we definitely do love the odd grandma moment! These look beautiful, and I love that they freeze well to pull out at those busy, don’t have a moment to bake, times :)
To JWG (#5) I remember that box of Date Bar Mix like it was yesterday. We LOVED them in my house and it was one of my favorite things to “cook” as a teenager. Been searching for that flavor combo ever since. Also K (#26) Deb did a hermit a while back and I was ecstatic to see that one back from the dead as well.I will look that one up in her archives because I don’t remember whether I actually made them, or just badly wanted to. There is a reason these cookies please us so, not too much bad stuff in them, and a “comfort food” quality that is hard to beat. Thanks Deb, for making these older foods new again.
The grandma who baked “date cake” passed 30 years ago and I hadn’t had it since until last winter when I decided to see if I could recreate. Between my sister and I we found old notes and I read many online recipes and after a few tries I had it. Loved the memories this project brought back. Tonight I stumbled upon your site and your version is nearly the same as what we came up with.
Careful now, on the internet no one knows who is over 70!
Oh how I love grandma food. See also: rum raisin ice cream, grapenuts, danish butter cookies. Can’t wait to try these!
Thanks for these.
I love dates, and have been looking for a good homemade breakfast bar for ages.
These look filling, and I already have everything in the house to make them.
Something about a bar for breakfast does take me back to childhood. My mom thought breakfast bars were so modern (a bit like Tang, and Carnation instant breakfast drink). LOOL, now we know how bad that stuff was for us.
But these give me hope for convenience and something healthy and sustaining in the morning.
Off to breakfast.
Cheers.
GK
Ha, I’m all for that grandma moment!
Date squares for breakfast!!!! I agree!……oh……date breakfast squares ;)
Yum! Can I use other dried fruit in lieu of the dates such as dried figs?
I love date bars and plan on baking these later today and then indulging in multiple peaceful moments with them (not quite to the grandma stage yet!). I also am going to try them with apricot, lemon zest and fresh ginger-YUM. I’m sure my children and my co-workers will be willing taste testers this week! Thanks for yet more inspiration! Also, I’m not sure whether I want to thank or curse the person who posted the calorie count :( I’m deeply deluded by the healthy halo effect of dates and oats and would prefer to linger in that zone.
These bar cookies look spectacular! I think the bars could take a variety of fillings (not that dates aren’t scrumptious)! So much fun to play with, Deb!!!!
Yum. And someday, if and when you are in the mood, would love to read how you make your homemade tortillas. Thank you in advance.
Just wondering, what is the function of the baking soda? I am used to seeing it with an acid to activate it as a leavened, but don’t see an acid (but I am no expert–one of the other crumb ingredients could function that way, I just don’t know which). Or does it have another function? These look yummy!
My absolute favorite from when I was a kid still is and you are right
No one makes these anymore!!!
Thanks Deb, these look great, and I’ll bring them for breakfast, but we usually go right to leftover pie! Can you explain why you included both brown sugar and turbinado? I’ve tried a couple of recipes recently calling for different kinds of sugar and want to understand the properties and what you’re going for.
This looks very delicious! I love recipes for baking that seem manageable!
I need to make these. They look like such a nice vegan snacking option!
These look great – any advice on how to make them gluten-free?
My son made these gluten free for me using oat flour (finally ground the oats in a food processor and used same amount as flower called for)— the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten!
*flour 🙄
I’m soooo happy you posted these! The local coffeehouse by my college campus makes a to die for date and oat bar. I’ve been wanting to make them at home!
I love your recipes. I made your green bean casserole last year for Thanksgiving and I have been waiting all year to make it again :) These bars look amazing. My husband loves breakfast bars. We live in India and bars can be hard to come by – but we have oats and dates in abundance. Will be trying these out very soon!
Oh thank goodness. I bought a lot of dates a few weeks ago – I think I can accurately blame pregnancy brain for the purchase – and I have no idea what to do with them. I don’t like to eat them plain, they’re weird mixed into yogurt… but Smitten Kitchen saves the day!
My grandma made date bars. And also cranberry bars. Same thing but with homemade cranberry sauce as the filling. My favorite. and an excellent use of leftover cranberry sauce.
Hey, Just made these but had way too few crumbs. Covered the 8 X 8 pan with a super thin layer and did not have enough to cover the dates. Just kind of dotted the top. Delicious but no where near able to cut them after baking. Will eat with a spoon and try again but this time I will double the crumb recipe.
I had the same problem as Susan. Waaay too few crumbs. Perhaps because of old fashioned oats vs quick?
I agree, the crumb volume needed to be doubled!
Deb I can’t wait to make these – I LOVE dates and/or bar cookies! And calories btw are more than reasonable (not that I really care if dates are involved lol) – a recipe analyzing website said 197 calories per bar! That’s great!
Anyone who says dates are dry hasn’t EVER eaten dates in Israel. The best IMO are Medjool dates. One might debate which middle eastern nation has the best dates BUT in Israel, with the top agronomists, most innovative farmers, and techniques like drip irrigation and careful conditions, Israel definitely has the tastiest, moistest, best dates! Israel has managed to get germination from a date pit of thousands of years old!
I made these this morning and they taste great – my only concern is that my crust seemed a little dry and crumbly. If I wanted to make them moister and stick together more, would I add more butter? Maybe something like applesauce to just moisten the whole thing up? Maybe just press the crumbs down better?
Mine were super moist, but I subbed most of the sugar with maple syrup……next time I’ll use a combo of maple syrup and honey to leave out all the sugar. I used mostly oat flour for the wheat, next time I’ll use spelt & oat and definitely double the crumb part!
When you list ingredients, such as olive, coconut, butter etc, you are offering a choice, not all of them at once? Sorry, I don’t do much baking!
These look so amazing that I want to try them!
Regards
Heidi
I’m with Talia. Can we sub almond or another non-wheat flour?
From, an ulcerative colitis suffering bread lover, who, as proof that the world is unfair, gets flares from bread products.
We are definitely in the Date Zone. I made last year’s Sticky Toffee Pudding for a friend’s birthday this time last year and she made me promise to make it again. We had firsts and seconds this morning after the gym. A thermos worked nicely for keeping the sauce warm, and I got extra whipped cream from the coffee bar. Done!
What do you think of adding a little cranberry? What would you recommend? Dried or fresh? And how much? It absolutely no?
I’ve never made anything with dates before, but these look really delicious! I’ll have to pin them and try them out soon!
Ugh–way too few crumbs here as well. I’m wondering if the measurements were off? If I cover the bottom of my pan, I will not have much topping left. I actually stopped in the middle to see if anyone else had this problem–or better yet, a solution! Oh well….now I have to decide what to do….Guess I’ll improvise but I’ll be checking back for the official solution!
How do you feel about adding some chocolate chips on top of the bottom crust before the date layer? Too much?
One of my all time favorites! I spent years looking for this recipe! Finally found it in a “Seachlight” cookbook. I think Seachlight was a magazine- I am unfamiliar with it. Just re-read the foreword:” The testing was done by The Household Seachlight, which from1925-1942was maintained for the study of home products under actual home conditions.” Still don’t understand! Can anyone help with this? I find the book very interesting! The complete title is”Household Seachlight Recipe Book”. Compiled and edited by:Ida Migliario, Zorada Z. Titus, Harriet W. Allard-B.S. Home Economics and Irene Nunemaker, Journalism. Household, Topeka, Kansas Thank you so much if you can shed any light on this book.
I just made these using dried cranberries with candied ginger, about 1 tablespoon. Based on a couple posts I upped the crumb by ½ and used half coconut oil and ½ butter. I had plenty of crumb for the bottom and top and the cranberries taste great. I also added a little vanilla. Really quick to make.
I saw the recipe and it reminded me of date bars my mother made from a mix in the ’60s. I made them and they are nothing like those. Yours are wonderful. I used oat flour instead of whole wheat, as my daughter in is on a gluten- free diet. Thank you. I will make them again.
Looks great! I added some ground flax and brewer’s yeast and am going to see if they work as lactation bars.
Thanks for this recipe Deb! My grandma’s date squares were one of my favorites when I was a kid. Unfortunately, she can’t make them anymore, and sadly they were left out of the family cookbook she put together some time ago. This recipe looks like the ones she used to make. Yet another big fan of #grandmacuisine over here :)
Made these this morning on a rainy NC morning. Used all butter and old fashioned oats.
Sigh…❤️
We made these bars with gluten free flour. They were delicious but surprised by the fact that the base and topping was not a course crumble – it was quite moist. We wondered about why one would melt the butter and not integrate it more like an apple crumble…. Any suggestions.
I must be an outlier, because I have never heard of date bars — but these look great! What do you think about adding some slivered or flaked almonds to the crumble?
And I love this: “because as far as I’m concerned, it’s no celebration unless you get to enjoy it too.” Very, very true.
I made these this afternoon using coconut oil. Followed exactly except I didn’t have orange zest. They are very good and not too sweet, which so many date squares are.
The house smells great!
I made these today, and while delicious, next time I would double the crumb mixture. I had to use more than half to cover the bottom and had not enough for the top.
I loved loved loved the date bar mix when I was a kid; absolute favorite desert and so easy to make that I was allowed to whip it up when Mom was happy to let someone else bake something for our sweet-craving household. Cannot wait to try this recipe! I have been hankering for it for years, thanks for re-creating!!!
I made these and after eating one, I immediately ate another. Delicious crispy crust and a perfect gooey spicy date filling! I see that others have commented on the paucity of the crust, but I found that gently pressing/patting half of the crust into the pan and then doing the same for the top worked well. Thank you, Deb!
Ahhh! These are perfect for this week’s adventures!!!!!
I made these today with gluten-free flour, and I used coconut oil to make them dairy-free as well. The spice level was perfection, but I had the same problem as others re: an inadequate amount of crumb. The prescribed amount was barely enough to cover the bottom of my 8×8. Next time I make these, I will double the crumb. Aside from that bit of trouble, these bars were wonderful!
I had the same problem as others with too few crumbs.
These are so good I could cry. Perfect crumb, I think next time I’ll try butter or olive oil over coconut. But yes…I did eat half the pan. There’s something about dates stewing that makes me feel so moody. Like wanting to turn on Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee and cry while making these, haha. My three year old keeps asking me where I bought these even though I told him I made them many times….they are that good apparently.
I made these yesterday and they are delicious, but unfortunately I had the same issue with the lack of crumb. I agree with Aimee that around double the amount would probably be adequate.
I just made these, oh my gawwwd they would be amazing with vanilla cream while they’re still warm.
Thanks for such a great, simple, fairly healthy recipe!
It doesn’t look hard to make. I must try it out
These are absolutely amazing. Just the right amount of sweet. The hint of orange is lovely. And, the ratios of date:bar is perfect. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi
I made these yesterday and they are absolutely delicious. I just about had enough crumb but they are a little soft and crumbly, this might be because I had to cut them whilst they were warm – my kids wouldn’t wait any longer. I will definitely be making these again.
Thank you for all your recipes
from cold old London Town
Susan
Good Morning Deb and friends, I came to the computer to ask your advice about a recipe and found that we were both at “Dates”. I am making holiday Kugels, Pumpkin is done, and I was thinking about a “Biblical” one – Dates, Figs & Honey. I usually use 3/4 C of sugar – how do I translate that into honey? Also, for spices, I’m thinking of Cardamom and ___?
I’ll make the Lemon/Blueberry one while I’m waiting for your advice.
Happy TG to you all, Victoria
I went down a rabbit hole this weekend too and made muesli! I can only handle so much holiday hype! Haha. Your date bars look amazing! Pinning and making later today. :)
Does Deb or anyone else here have any tips for chopping dates? I love them but am hesitant to bake with them because I loathe chopping them. They stick terribly to my knife making chopping impossible, so I figured I would try the food processor…same deal. They just glue themselves to the processor blade. I usually buy medjool dates and they are always plump and a little sticky.
Made these this morning and they’re great! I doubled the recipe, made then in a 9×13 pan and also switched out King Arthur Gluten Free All-purpose flour(with a pinch of xanthan gum) and used GF oatmeal. No increase in baking time was necessary when doubling it, either. They turned out perfect! If I’m going to “double” the recipe next time, I’ll probably up the crumb to 3x the recipe instead of merely 2x the amount shown. It’s a bit thin on top! But still yummy.
Looks great. Here in Israel they sell dates in a form of a “brick”, pitted and minced. Saves a lot of work. Also I was thinking that a hint of rosewater instead of the citrus peel could also be yummy.
Thank you! A recipe I can make for my almost 2 year old grandson who is allergic to dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds… Also thank you to Lauren #36 for adding the (#) she was commenting on. I often scroll to your comments Deb and then try to find the corresponding comment and it can be hard to do when all you have is the name….
Do you think I could you use dried figs instead of dates? I have figs on hand.
FYI…maybe you already know, but Joe Pastry is stopping. Sad day…
These date squares look delicious, what a great idea for breakfast!
I’m in the same boat as Andrea up above: I have two huge containers of dried figs slowly being forgotten in the back of my fridge; do you think I could use those (in place of the dates)? And if so do you recommend changing anything else? Thanks :)
Wow they looks so delicious – sweet but healthy treat!!!!
hi deb!! I distinctly remember some thanksgiving cooking schedule/plan you posted a while ago but I cannot seem to find it anywhere. it had your whole day planned out, what dish you would start/when etc. any idea where it is on this website?
Just made these and they’re very good. Love the addition of the citrus! Doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan and the amount of crumb worked well.
My mother used to make the Betty Crocker date squares…as well as brownies from scratch, ( recipe from Baker’s unsweetened chocolate box) for her bridge club or ladies’ luncheons. Yours look delicious!
Wow this looks so delicious! I want to try making it asap!
Hi Deb,
I made these today with coconut oil & a mix of almond flour + coconut flour + amaranth flour instead of the whole wheat. I added dark chocolate chips (80% cocoa) to the crumb mixture. It was AWESOME! The bitterness of the chocolate enhanced the taste of the dates & wasn’t too sweet at all. (I suspect it will be different if using regular chocolate chips.)
I see that others have had a problem with not enough crumb left for the top. I found that if I use exactly half the mixture for a thin bottom layer & pat it down really firm, then there’s enough left for a solid top layer of crumb as well.
Also for someone above who was asking about chopping the dates, I didn’t. I simply pitted them & bunged them into the water – I just left them simmer for longer, maybe about 20 minutes, and they made a nice soft spreadable paste.
This is definitely going into the vault! Thank you!
This look great, except you could make a healthier version minus the sugar. Dates are sweet enough!
These are delicious!! I made them for my mom, who used to make date bars when I was growing up. Now, she’s not able to cook much for herself and was delighted to hear that I’m bringing them over to her on Thanksgiving. Thanks, Deb!!
We always made the Betty Crocker date squares in college. They were good and needed nothing but water. No eggs in a dorm! Great memories!
These are delicious! I pumped up the volume of the date filling by adding a few chopped dried figs and apple sweetened dried cranberries to make 2 cups. To the water I added the juice of the orange that provided the zest. Next time I will make more crust for the top and bottom. Overall love this taste of the holiday season. Thanks.
Do you think a 14 month old with 8 teeth could manage these? My daughter is all about finger food and these could be a fun alternative to her usual breakfast of kix, cheese, and bananas. :) I’m just not sure if they’d be too thick and gooey for an inexperienced eater. Thanks!
I like this concept, but I’m not a huge date fan. Would dried apricots work?
In Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, we found date bars as ubiquitous as chocolate chip cookies are in the States. What a wonderful trip we had — fish, fresh from a fish pound, exceptional dairy products, beautiful real strawberries — and great date bars. I want to go back!!! These date bars will help.
Made these this morning and they’re delicious, but wish I had read the comments to double the crumbs. Even with vigorous pressing, I still didn’t have enough. Otherwise, amazing!
Made with coconut oil and all brown sugar, as I did not have any of the turbinado. Chopped the dates in the food processor, because it was already out for another recipe.. The date mixture came out lovely this way. Also struggled with not feeling like I had enough of the crumb mixture, though this may have been entirely my fault since I didn’t measure the dates precisely and that could have thrown the proportions off. I thought double the crumb would be too much, so I made an addition half of the recipe (or 150% of the crumb mixture) and am happy with it.
Re, not having enough crumbs — I’m sorry to hear this. I definitely had a thin layer but it covered (again, thinly) as you see in the pictures. Was everyone using the same size pan (8×8)? For those that didn’t find they had enough, did you use old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats? Perhaps this was the culprit. (I used quick…)
Re, using other fruits — I definitely think you could. Fig and apricot would be natural swaps, but some adjustments might be needed. They may need more water to absorb, or to cook a little longer to get soft. Apricots in particular might need some sugar, or just a heads-up that they’re going to be much less sweet than dates, which are basically like candy.
Julie — Maybe? Yikes, I should know this stuff but it’s been a while since I had a toddler. Soon enough, I’ll be an expert again. But from my end, nothing seems like it would be worrisome. (Also: KIX!! That’s my childhood. Is it back?)
I had the not-enough-crumb issue, and I used old-fashioned oats.
Not enough crumbs and used old-fashioned oats as well. Didn’t mean to be complain-y though—love your site and thoroughly enjoy reading your blogs and trying out recipes now and again!
I had the not enough crumb mixture and I used quick.
Just tried it and wanted to give more feedback….crust was very “sandy” and crumbly and it was a touch on the salty side….would probably not make again….which is a shame because I love dates!
dani — (Apologies, comment responses are very out of order this week due to the stop-start nature of things these days!) I didn’t talk about a schedule per se (although I’d wanted to but — oh the irony — ran out of time) but briefly in this comment.
Re, not enough crumbs — Again, I’m sorry to hear this. The crumbs are supposed to be thin, but they should also look like mine above, i.e. thin but mostly covered. You definitely have to press them evenly to get it to cover and as I mention in the recipe, the dates might pop through a dot here or there, but it bakes up just fine and of course, this is a breakfast bar and I didn’t want it to be thick like a dessert bar. I use the exact recipe I share here, to the letter, so I am indeed surprised there’s been trouble.
Re, Joe Pastry — Nooo! Such a loss for the cooking web. I’d just caught up on him last week and hadn’t seen this coming. But, real life, I get it… (You’re not getting rid of me yet, though.)
Mels — You could maybe oil your knife first? But honestly, you’re going to wash it either way when you’re done, a little grime shouldn’t be a huge hindrance. You only need to rough-chop them; they cook down into a kind of mush fairly easily. You’re just getting them started.
Victoria, re, kugels — Honey is usually considered to taste a little sweeter than sugar so you might use a little less.
Mels and everyone else- I use kitchen shears and cut the dates up. One hand gets sticky holding the dates, and the shears do too, but it’s the easiest method we’ve found for chopping dates. Made the bars this weekend because I LOVE dates, but I haven’t tried them yet. Mom and I make date nut cookies every holiday season from my grandpa’s recipe and I can’t get enough of the cookies. Hopefully the date bars will tide me over in the lean season.
Hi Deb! Happy Thanksgiving! Quick request; chance you could provide the quantities of flour, oats, etc. by weight instead of volume? Thank you!
When I saw the title I thought it meant date breakfast as in, what you eat the morning after date night :-)
Thank you Deb, for this wonderful post! I made a version of your recipe using dried figs (with a teensy wee bit of whisky) instead of dates, a mix of whole-wheat, corn, rice and linseed flours, olive oil, and a little less sugar, and they’re scrumptious! They came out of the oven after (a plentiful) dinner, and I still had to eat “the ugly” bits. I had them in mind for when I need to be at the office very early, but they seem too crumbly for safe transportation… I’m thinking of adding some water or apple juice (1-2 tablespoons) to the dough next time… I guess butter would also make them more stable, or maybe an egg?
I think I’ll be making these (and many versions of) quite a lot!
Im always hungry and this looks just right to carry with me and have some on the road. Great idea thanks for sharing.
Greeting from Barcelone and Happy Thxgvn !
Im thinking about making these squares for my beloved celiac friend. Im thinking about replacing the oats for almond flower and the whole grain flour for rice flour, and follow the recipe as mentioned.
Do you think it might work.
Congrats on the new baby
and thank you for your kind work
Love the idea and the recipe. Yet do have to say that they are just too sweet for me. So next time I’ll try them minus the additional sugar. Yet would also love to try them with apricots or figs. Thanks for the inspiration!!!
They were great with apricots — as others mentioned, apricots will need to be cooked a bit longer, with some sugar and more liquid, to be sticky enough. But they’re delicious, especially with a few chocolate chips sprinkled over, under the top layer of crumbs.
Hi Deb! Happy Thanksgiving!i will try it definitely
Re, using a non-wheat flour — As others have noted, I think this would take well to a swap with a gluten-free flour blend. I also like using oat flour in baked goods though I cannot be confident it would work as a 1:1 swap (you’d probably need a little more, because it’s so light) without trying it.
Heidi — It’s a choice. Any will work.
Baking soda here — Acts as baking soda — both a leavening and browning agent. Oats are a little acidic, so is brown sugar…
Re, sweetness — I kept it as low as I could. I think you’ll find these much less sweet than traditional date squares intended more as a dessert or cookie. Dates themselves are sweet, however, and there’s no scrubbing that out unless you want to use a mix of dates and another more tart dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, etc.).
Re, the fat — I used a mix of coconut oil, olive oil and butter because I wanted a bit of the flavor of each.
Tracey — Love the store, haven’t bought dates there. Thanks for the tip!
salvegg — I keep pumpkin pie in the fridge. I don’t think it (or most things we keep in the fridge, you know, aside from milk and the obvious stuff) will actually go bad that quickly at room temperature and there’s no reason that pumpkin pie needs to be in there, except longevity. I just prefer it cold.
So many comments about the crumbs — I’m starting to think I’ve lost my mind (it was going to happen sooner or later). I’ll retest these today or tomorrow and report back.
These are my new favorite thing, but I did make a change that I like even better. The first time I made them just like the recipe. I thought the date layer was too thick in proportion to the crumb layer, so too sweet for my taste. So today I doubled the crumb mixture, kept the date mixture the same, and used a 9X9 pan. Perfect.
I’m afraid I must add my voice to those who say there isn’t sufficient mixture for base and crumble. By using just half the mixture for the base I wasn’t able to cover the bottom of my 8×8 inch pan so had to use the whole mixture. I then had to hastily make another batch for the top. It tastes great but if I make it again I’d double the base/crumble mixture and add less sugar as I did find it a bit sweet as the dates are very sweet.
BTW I used old fashioned oats, not quick oats. Maybe this is why some of us had less mixture
I also had the same issue with the crumb. I used almost all of it for the base and just sprinkled what I had leftover on top.
I used quick cooking oats as well, with coconut oil (melted via microwave) and whole wheat flour as per the recipe, and the amount of crumb was fine for my 8×8 pan. 1/2 for the bottom, and 1/2 sprinkled and pressed down on the top.
Growing up, my grandmother always made date squares. Honestly, I had completely forgotten about them until now. These look really delicious and have to be added to my Christmas baking list. Thank you!
I have a bunch of leftover dried figs from my Thanksgiving stuffing. Would they work instead of dates? These look so good!
Just made these. Had PLENTY OF CRUMBS for the base and topping – not sure why all the complaints from others. Glad I followed the recipe and didn’t double the crumbs. Perfect as is if you can follow directions!
Also, I used Old Fashioned Oats and half melted butter/half non-melted coconut oil.
Found my next breakfast!
Woot Woot! Give a shout out for BAKING DATES! (A product, not an event with your loved one, though it could be both.)
http://www.groceries-express.com/images/70000%5C74265%5C00433%5C7426500433CF.GIF
After skimming this recipe the day before, I was turbo grocery shopping before kid pick up and these luckily caught my eye (Ziyad “Baking Dates” in the international foods section of our regular grocery store). Though not adorned with a halo (they should have been), this was undoubtedly divine intervention. For under $2, I thought there would surely be nastiness like added sugar, guar gum, or some such polynitrooxidizedhydrogenatedsomethingorother but, lo!, it is pure date! I squeezed out “date snakes” in rows and, with oiled fingers, patted it down. Filling done! One package worked for the 8×8; my next step is doubling+ into a 9×13 and am trying two packages but might be a bit thin. However, for under $2/package, I could spring for a 3rd if need be ;)
would these be giftable? I am looking for food gifts to send to loved ones in cities far away. The recipe says will last a week in the fridge…I’m thinking maaaybe it’d work to mail them–?
Feedback is so welcome, please and thank you!!
Sandra — They’d be okay at room temperature but wouldn’t be my first choice for gifting. They’re soft. In the fridge, the crumbs stay more crisp.
Reporting back about the baking dates. 1 package gives a generous filling to 8×8; 2 packages was just fine for 9×13. I use the food processor for the rest.
1. Combine all crust/crumble ingredients except the oats and filling. I also add/sub in some almond meal and put the orange zest here.
2. Pulse in oats (yes, a few get chopped up, no biggie.
3. Pulse in the fat until mixture is a “coarse rubble.”
Made them. Absolutley love them!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!
These are wonderful. I didn’t add any sugar at all and they had just the right amount of sweetness from the dates. Thanks for a great recipe!
I had seen all the comments about the crumbs before I made these a few weeks ago, but I always tell myself “In Deb we trust,” so I made the crumb mixture as-is. And you know what? It was great! I wouldn’t want more crumbs for a breakfast bar. But here’s my trick: divide the crumb mixture in half, maybe giving an extra handful to the half you’re going to put on the top. Pour the slightly smaller portion of the crumb mixture in the bottom of your 8×8, and use a piece of parchment paper to really press the crumbs down firmly. Basically, try and use the bare minimum on the bottom crumbs to achieve coverage, and you will have enough for a thin crumb layer that mostly covers the top.
Also to “health” these up a bit, I replaced both sugars with coconut sugar and they came out great. This is definitely a wonderful addition to our breakfast rotation. Pair these with a green smoothie and breakfast is served!
these look delicious. I use Dates mostly as sugar replacement, but these look irresistible and packed with nutrition.
I ran into the same problems as others with not enough crumb base; next time I’ll 1.5x the crumb mixture and dial back the salt. Mine were also very sandy and crumbly (as in, had to be consumed with fork on a plate), which is also a problem when I try to reduce the sugar in granola bars. I’m wondering if a liquid sweetener (golden or maple syrup) might help bind things better?
These were amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe, Deb!
Made these with dates may have to try them with figs as well.
Deb I have to say these are amazing! I could have eaten the whole panful in one go. I used a slightly larger pan and was a little short on crumbs but they worked out fine. My mum made these when I was a kid but she tells me her recipe had a heap more sugar in it! Finally made your pumpkin galette and have made half a dozen stonefruit galettes in the last two weeks, most of the recipes I cook these days are yours and I have to say they’re all wonderful! Thank you.
I printed this out the day it was posted and didn’t get to make them until yesterday. Wish I would have checked comments first. I also had the too little crumb issue. I was going to quick make a 1/2 batch more but decided to just sprinkle what was left on top. I LOVE the filling and I will make again using 1.5 crumb recipe (without increasing the salt). Also, I think these are better the next day.
I finally made these the other day. We had plenty of crumbs – I don’t think we needed any more. They were a bit crumbly – would an egg (or maple syrup or honey) help hold them together? That being said, they were absolutely delicious – thank you for the recipe. One of our family Christmas cookie recipes is my grandmother’s date cookies – a sweetened, cooked date filling sandwiched and baked between two brown sugar cookies. Everyone is always surprised by them and loves them. Dates may be old-fashioned, but they are still around for a reason!
I always use pre-chopped dates because chopping them myself is always a big sticky mess, and I really can’t tell the difference in the finished product – we did a date cookie side-by-side comparison a few years back and there was no discernible difference. Thanks for this new, wonderful way to use dates!
Just made these and also found myself a little short on crumbs for the top, but granted, I did use a 9-inch pan. Also, my crumb mixture seemed a lot moister than in the photos, so I added a little extra flour and oats. But neither issue ended up causing any trouble – they came out absolutely delicious. I would make them again without changing anything.
Just made these for a new mama and was definitely short on crumbs. Had to make an emergency second batch of crumbs to have enough for the top layer. Once I made the second batch it was perfect.
Made these this past week, and had to use a LOT more of the mixture to actually cover the bottom, as many people have said. I used old-fashioned oats.
Also, once I cut the squares, the bottom tended to fall off in pieces as we ate them. They were very crumbly.
I found myself wanting some sort of other flavor besides the dates, oats, and sugar. They were a little meh to me.
Maybe I’d try these again with pistachios, orange flower water, and a little less sugar?
Just made these and they were delicious! They were crumbly, but it didn’t matter – you just need a fork to eat them.
I will definitely be making these again!
I have the second-ever batch of these in the oven right now, and I loved them after the first go, but I think the recipe still has some kinks to work out. Here’s my tale:
Batch 1: 8×8 glass pyrex. Made 150% batch of crumbs after seeing early comments. Used old fashioned oats and coconut oil only, and used the mix of sugars as per the recipe. My crumb mix was more of a sludge, so I added quite a bit more flour and a little more oats to get it closer to your photo, but it was still pretty moist. Because of this, I definitely had enough crumbs for top and bottom, but the finished bars were very crumbly. But very delicious. I figured that my extra flour may have dried them out too much.
Batch 2: 9×13 glass pyrex. Made 250% of crumb mix. Old fashioned oats and coconut oil. Again, very sludgey. Decided to try rolling with the sludge in hopes of a better finished product, and patted the sludge into the bottom of the pan. Pretty thin layer. Did not have enough remaining crumb to cover top, and I decided that I really had to add more flour to that in order to even get it sprinkled over the top of the date mix. I got about 90% coverage. Turns out I should have added the extra flour – after baking and cooling, the bottom layer is only really holding together as far as it is stuck to the date layer — it’s just a crumbly mess. Still delicious.
I’m stumped. Maybe the fat matters? I guess I need to try it next with butter, or else just start cutting back the coconut oil if I want to follow the recipe as written. Or maybe try a liquid sweetener as someone above mentions.
I made these yesterday and Dad and I loved them. I had plenty of crumbs; used an 8×8 pan, coconut oil, and old fashioned oatmeal. My question relates to the crumb–the top is very crumbly as in we ate them over a plate to catch the crumbs. I did a little research and found that the average of 4 recipes (some were for jam bars) was 1/2 butter (other oils not mentioned, but vintage recipes), 2/3 cup sugar (I might try 1/3, since sugar = liquid in a recipe), 2/3 c. oatmeal, and a total of 1-1/4 cups flour. I’d thought it might need more butter/oil, but now I think it might be the sugar.
I really don’t want to use more sugar: yours as written are plenty sweet. The spices take these into the ambrosial category!
Did you ever remake them?
Deb! Can you post weights for this recipe? I just bought a scale and I can’t go back!
Thanks!!
Hi Deb, I’ve made these a few times and like all your recipes- absolutely delicious! I did find however that they were super crumbly and didn’t really stay together, even though I did exactly as you said… Any ideas why? (not that it ever stopped us from demolishing them almost immediately).
Delicious! Made these this morning to serve with a quiche. Might have one for dessert tonight with a little vanilla ice cream. Super simple to make and I would love to cut myself another HUGE piece right now. Unfortunately, just because I have created a healthy, date filled morsel, consuming the entire pan would not be a good thing. Tempting.
these are great! I added a little more water to my pot of dates because the 3/4 cup called for in the recipe didn’t cover them. Don’t do it! It was fine, it just took longer to cook down, though I did end up with lovely, spreadable date goop.
Love these. Parchment paper is the way to go for lining the pan and for firmly pressing down the bottom layer. We like juicing the orange after grating the zest and using it as part of the 3/4 cup liquid also.
I just put this into the oven. Smells heavenly :)
Quick question though- the amounts you suggest in the recipe barely covered my pan at all. I had to add some more oats, etc. to get it to cover the pan on the bottom and on top of the date layer. My pan is the right size (8×8). Why is there so little of this? Am I doing something wrong? Seems odd. Otherwise very tasty though!
Do you think brown rice flour would work in this recipe? Am I correct in assuming the coconut oil should be melted? Sounds delicious.
Made these. Dry and tasteless, threw them out.
Just tried these and they were so delicious I had to make them twice. But – I did have too little crumbs – next time I’ll try the quick cooking oats. BTW I didn’t have time to make the date mixture the second time and just used fig jam instead – it works and made them super quick.
I made this, but there wasnt nearly enough to cover the bottom of the pan and the top crumble. I used the Old Fashion oats. Can you recommend an increased amount of oats?
Thanks!
I made this with modifications and liked it. I agree with other commenters that it’s almost not quite enough oat mixture. I used old fashioned oats and weighed the mixture before patting in the pan – half by weight wasn’t quite enough to cover the bottom of the 8×8 pan. I used less on the top to have enough for the bottom.
Instead of dates, I used about 7 oz of dried apricots and subbed a bit or orange extract for the zest. I did not dice the apricots, but did puree them after the simmer. Since the oat mixture looked a little oily, I added a bit more flour. Since my pan was a bit dark, I baked it for 24 min at 375.
Anyway, it was still delicious and tangy and liked that it wasn’t overly sweet. I could still eat the whole pan by myself.
Curious as to whether this delicious-sounding recipe could stand the addition of flaxseed or flax meal. I only ask in the hope of incorporating some more fiber into a diet that will hopefully include this recipe.
I want to make these this week, but I have no raw sugar. Can I use maple syrup or honey instead or will that mess with the moisture too much?
The taste was spot on, the ratio of flour and oats was a bit sparse for the 8*8 pan. My crumble layers came out paper thin. I will definitely up the flour and oats when I make it again.
I made these for a yum lunchbox snack for the week. Kids loved them. I modified by using lemon instead of orange and plain flour instead of wholemeal.
I concur with other commenters that there wasn’t really enough of the oats and I’d probably be inclined to increase the amount of ingredients by about 50% to make a proper base, mine was pretty thin. As it is, it was quite a crumbly slice. But still – lapped up by those who vote! ha.
These are delicious! My 2 year old and I love them. To make them healthier I subbed 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in place of all the sugar, and replaced 1/4 cup of the flour with almond flour. They are delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe deb.
I doubled fruit filling and tripled the crumbs (though next time will just double everything because I thought the crumb ratio would have been better as written). I used a combination of dates, figs, prunes and cranberries because that’s what I had, and it was fine. My guess is it would work with any dried fruit, but you might need to increase the sweetness of the filling if your fruit is less sweet (like apricots). My suggestion is to replace some of the water added to the fruit with orange juice from the orange/s you zest for the filling.
I made this using dried figs. Like some of the reviewers, I also used orange juice as part of the liquid. It took longer than 10 minutes to absorb the liquid though. More like 20 min. I also added chopped pecans to the dry mix and it turned out really good. It wasn’t too sweet for breakfast!
I made these on Monday. I used quick-cooking oats and had plenty of crumbs. I actually found these too sweet, believe it or not, but I love the texture. I’ll definitely make it again and try to tailor the sweetness to my taste. Thanks for a great recipe!
I thought these were quite tasty but agree that it needs more of the oat topping relative to the sweet date paste filling. The filling gets monotonous. My toddler ate one small square but then picked the oats off the second square leaving the filling behind (which is what I wanted to do as well). I’d double the oat topping next time but leave the date amount the same.
I LOVE these. I added a handful of chopped sliced almonds to the batter, and 1/2 t of vanilla as well. I use refined coconut oil. THANKS!
The effort to delight ratio here was fantastic! Being inadvertently vegan is a nice plus. In lieu of dates, I cooked dried apricots + a splash of orange juice then blended them a bit. I used rolled oats and found it made the bars a little too crumbly. Would blend them a little the next time around. Thanks for a great treat!
Hey Deb. I have some date butter that I want to bake with. Could I use that for the filling of these bars? If so, should I subtract some of the sugar in the crumbs? I don’t want to make something overly sweet. Thanks!
I’m unfamiliar with the product — is it like peach butter? I don’t think you have to worry about this being too sweet, especially if the date butter doesn’t have anything but dates (no added sugar) in it. But I’m not sure it’s firm enough to bake up well. It cannot hurt to find out.
Me too :-) It was a Trader Joe’s impulsive buy. It’s like apple butter. Hmm, we’ll see if I am brave enough to try it or not. It might be best to stick to the recipe. Thanks!
I made this but deviated a bit from the original. I added about 3 tbsp cocoa to the date paste instead of the orange zest, just because I’m making them for my husband. There is a hint of chocolate but I probably could have added some melted chocolate instead, vanilla and coffee granules to make the flavor more intense. The crumb mixture is wonderful that I wished the ratio between crumb and filling is more. Next time, I will increase the crumb to 1.5 and use a quarter sheet instead of a square pan to make the bars a little thinner. I cut them into 16 squares and it seems too big a serving. I might try other dried fruits next time.
Hello there, I have a hankering to make these for a hiking trip in England. How long do you think they would last outside in 60-70 degree weather?
They should last just fine.
Getting breakfast into my daughter is always tricky, but she and I both love dates. Thank you for the timely reminder that we all need self-care at this time of year.
I made this recipe exactly as is, and I felt that the ratios were fine. Many other comments mentioned that they didn’t have enough of the oat/flour mixture, but I thought it was perfect. I had to use just more than half of the oat/flour to coat the bottom, and the leftover went on top. I wouldn’t have wanted to have more of the oat/flour mixture- it worked out well!
I made these last night & tried to reduce the sugar content by using maple syrup and rice syrup, and it was way too liquidy for the amount of dry stuff so I kept adding more to get the crumbly appearance I saw in the photos. I was surprised at how little mixture there was — I halved the recipe again and still it seemed very sparse for both top and bottom. Maybe because I didn’t use butter it also was quite crumbly. I love oats and dried fruit but don’t like to eat sugar at breakfast so I’m looking for something naturally sweet that feels satisfying and whole-grainy and healthy. I think I’ll keep looking.
I used all orange juice instead of water which gave the dates a lovely flavour. I also did 1.5 times the crust and I felt it was not enough for the 8X8 pan and hence I baked it in the 2 lbs loaf time which gave it the perfect thickness and crust to filling ratio. I baked it for a book club meeting and everyone loved it.
Hi Deb! I have some prunes that I’d like to use up. Do you think I could substitute the dates with prunes? Thank you!
Can you make these GF? My sister is allergic to 72 things…no joke. She can’t hace coconut or almond, so those flours are out. What would you suggest?
Hi- wondering if you can include metric weight measurements? Thank you!
These are delicious!
Outstanding bars. I played with the ingredients a little..used buckwheat flour 1/2 C. along with all purpose flour. Used 1/4 cup of date sugar instead of turbinado, added a touch more orange rind and fresh nutmeg.
A keeper for sure. I am going to add nuts next time.
This was delicious. Loved the crumbs. Although if you make the quantity written here it won’t be enough to cover the base of your pan let alone “sprinkle the rest on top”… I had to make double amount of crumbs, and it’s perfect for base and top. Also didn’t have any cloves so I had to leave that out completely.
Hi & thanks for this recipe! I used a random online calorie calculator to find out what the nutritional info would be & unless there is user error (please feel free to check my math, ha!! Not my strongest skill!), here’s what I got for this recipe: (12 servings) 188 cals, 9.5 gms of fat (8.6 gms were saturated fat), 69 mg sodium, 25.8 carbs, 2.4 g fiber, 17.5 g total sugars, 1.6 g protein. Can’t wait to make these!
long-time follower and enjoyer of most recipes on here! so many home runs!!
i know this recipe has been up a long time but i needed a quickie baked good to visit a friend who is a new mom and had dates languishing.
i definitely needed a double batch of the crumble mix in order to make 2 layers. i don’t see this in the comments or maybe i am just a glutton for sugary/buttery/crispy goodness?
had no citrus to zest, so added orange and almond extracts and ginger in addition to the cinnamon. smells amazing.
obviously i didn’t scroll far enough down because the lack of crumb in the original recipe has been mentioned repeatedly.
sorry!
Absolutely one of my favorite recipes. I’ve made it many times now both for a breakfast treat and for dessert. Easy and divine. I prefer it with olive oil
I made these and they were incredible! I paid attention to the comments, doubling the crumb mixture and swapping out the 3/4 cup water with 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice. I also cut the sugar in the doubled crumb mixture down from 1/2 cup sugar to 1/8 cup brown sugar and 1/8 cup coconut sugar.
I made these today. I had a blood orange, so I used that for zest; then I squeezed the juice and added water to make 3/4 cup to cook the dates. It turned out fabulous! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Delicious! I didn’t have an 8×8 pan (all my square pans are 9×9) so I used a metal loaf pan. This worked wonderfully and gave me a nice thick crust. Baked it closer to 37 minutes. I also used extra thick rolled oats because that is what I had on hand. Crowd pleaser and very simple to make.
Delicious! I didn’t have an 8×8 pan (all my square pans are 9×9) so I used a metal loaf pan. This worked wonderfully and gave me a nice thick crust. Baked it closer to 37 minutes. I also used extra thick rolled oats because that is what I had on hand. Crowd pleaser and very simple to make.
These are delicious! I only have a 9×9 pan so I followed the comments of another reviewer and doubled the crumb but not the dates. It filled the pan well, and I thought the proportion of date to crumb was perfect. Thanks!
I made these tonight. Came up short on crumbs by one third. Was wondering what I did wrong until I started reading the comments. Sounds like a common result. Next time I would double the crumbs or do as one of the comments mentions: divide crumbs in two and use smaller amount for the bottom, spreading out as uber thinly as possible. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these as written using quick oats and found the crumb quantity perfect. What a delicious excuse to eat cookies for breakfast!
I had a completely different experience from all the other bakers ! As I was nearing the 25 minute mark, I checked in on my date squares. And saw it was developing a mound near the center of the baking dish. I took it out and deflated it with a toothpick. I took a spatula and decided to press down the crust when suddenly, the crust was rising in spots ! It was fun to watch but I don’t think that was part of the entertainment of baking these date squares. So what happened?
It smelled great, taking it over to mom’s !
I’m the same, I adore the old dessert, cookie & ‘slice’ recipes; brownies, lemon bars & date slice are all-time favourites of mine.
I’ve been baking these date bars since August 2019 and they’re still going strong ! They’re absolutely delicious and fun to eat for breakfast, afternoon snack or as a dinner dessert ! When I began to bake this recipe, I kept forgetting to buy an orange ! Now I add 1/2 tsp orange extract and able to bake these bars on a whim ! My 8 x 8 pan is a beaut and the crumb mixture is good and plenty ! Lately I’ve been using dried figs for the filling and love it just as much as the dates ! Thank you so much for this easy recipe !
I think I made too many mods to this recipe.. I used brown rice flour instead of ww flour, used brown sugar instead of turbinado or raw sugar, used a mix of dried fruits I had lying around the house (raisins, cranberry, apricot, pineapple), used olive oil – no butter or coconut oil…and what probably really did me in was doubling the crumb and fruit center. It smelled lovely in the oven but started to burn on the edges before the center set. I lowered the heat and left it in a little longer but it’s definitely burnt on the edges. I’m hoping it will firm up a bit as it cools but we’ll see! At least it’s egg-free so if it’s on the raw side it won’t be a food safety hazard *shrug*
Ok, so they are quite tasty. I think they are a wee bit burnt, but it has a toasty-ness that reminds me of graham crackers. My dried fruit medley is pretty sweet (the pineapple was pretty saturated in sugar). So I wouldn’t quite eat this the way I made it, BUT, I’ll salvage this as a yogurt topping (my bars are also very crumbly. I’ll blame the rice flour sub). Y’all can learn from my mistakes :)
Easy and delicious. I was looking for a date square recipe that didn’t have a tonne of brown sugar. This recipe was what I found. Quantities worked perfectly for me!
Despite the many warnings from other makers of this recipe, I did not modify the crumb quantities at all…yet I was still surprised when there wasn’t nearly enough to coat the bottom of my pan :P No worries – a muffin tin to the rescue!
I ended up getting 12 muffins out of the recipe and it was the perfect ratio of bottom crumb, to date paste, to top crumb. I baked for roughly 15-20 minutes (can’t remember exactly, but definitely shorter than the recipe calls for due to the different vessel).
HOWEVER – the texture of the crumb itself and how it cooked up is…weird? Very dry/sandy and crumbly. These do not hold together at all, in fact I’m keeping them in the muffin tin in my fridge, and that gives me the best chance of scooping it onto a plate and eating without disintegrating.
All that said, I still quite enjoy the taste and sweetness level (not too sweet) – I just think in the future I’ll use a different crumb recipe altogether, one that can actually hold up. Maybe something more like a shortbread would work?
I had never heard of date bars, so I appreciate the introduction when looking for a sweet, but not too sweet snack for my kids lunches. Since I wasn’t constrained by any known idea of what it actually tastes like, I may have gone a bit creative with it. I used what I had- I did half coconut oil, half olive oil. I used coconut flour, and so to account for it’s absorption of liquids, I added some heavy cream to the crumb mixture and it was less crumb and more like cookie dough. To the dates, I added some leftover red wine (about 2 Tbps) and 1/4 cup lemon juice and filled the rest of the liquid measurement with remaining water measurements. I also added water as needed to continue cooking my dates until I thought they looked like yours in the photo. I had chopped them too roughly, and they were a bit dry, so they took more time and more liquid. For some reason, this had me thinking of spiced pears poached in red wine with whip cream! I’ll have to try to stick a bit closer to the recipe next time…..Delicious and easy. Thanks Deb!
We loved these! We used an 8×6 glass baking dish (based on comments about the amount of crumbs), and the amount of crust and topping is very nice. We used fig butter for the filling, which pairs very nicely with the oat mixture and makes for very quick preparation. We sometimes end up with extra jam or fruit butters and will probably try some other flavors in the future.
Very late to the party here but wondering if orange juice (either entirely or partially) could be used in place of water for preparing the filling? Have your Extra-Billowy Dutch Baby in the oven now but looking ahead, I read your website like other people read novels. Thank you in advance.
Have these baking now-made as per recipe except having used orange juice and water to equal 3/4 cup. Unlike others who have made this I found the crumb amount to be more than adequate. What I have found with this and other similar recipes is that it’s important to sprinkle the crumb base into the pan and then use a spatula to press the crumb layer evenly to distribute and compact the layer. Just my two cents worth. Great recipe, thank you!
I have made this with dates and with figs separately, and I liked the fig version better (less sweet) . Had to use my immersion blender a bit to smooth out the filling after I cooked it. I also added some walnut crumbs to the topping. Overall, I just followed the recipe otherwise using olive oil, didn’t double anything and there was plenty of crumb topping. It seems the big difference is using the quick cook oats and not the old fashioned oats. I also put the pan in the fridge for a while before cutting them to reduce crumbling which worked well. Deb recommends that on her other date bar recipe in the cookbook. Big hit! I am pretty sure they would stay together even better with butter but I was going for a healthy fat.
I have a whole bunch of dried fruit languishing in my pantry… would this treatment work for any dried fruit? Is it worth a try? (dried apricots and cherries specifically)
Yes
I liked these but didn’t love them. After reading the comments, I bumped the crumb mix up to 1.5x. I baked for 29 minutes but think maybe I should have gone longer. They taste simultaneously a little too healthy and a little too sweet. I used olive oil – a different fat and longer baking time may have gotten better results for my palate. I also used old fashioned oats – not sure if that may have been a factor also.
These were delicious! Easy to make the smell while the dates are cooking is so comforting. I did double the crumb mixture as the quantity provided only filling the bottom of my pan.
I subbed persimmon for the dates – two medium persimmons (aprx 9 oz) + 2T maple syrup and the grated orange zest. Blended with a handheld immersion blender but would probably be easier with a small blender like a Nutribullet. Turned out great! Definitely not as sweet and chewy as the dates would have been but a yummy way to use up some persimmons.
These sound absolutely delicious! I was hoping to make them for my date-loving two-year old and was wondering if I cut the sugar content down significantly, would it still turn out? Or is there something I could add as a replacement?
Could one use figs instead of dates?
I’d think so!
I just made these this morning as written. Very easy and delicious. I would not change a thing. My spouse already devoured 3 bars. I can always rely on Deb for great recipes!
Oh my gosh! The local bakery of my childhood used to make something like this called “Princess Squares”. I have been searching for a recipe and this looks like it! I can’t wait to try it!