Date Bars
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Date bars are a layered oat bake with a soft date filling between two crumbly crusts. The filling is just dates, sugar and water cooked down until thick, so the fruit's natural sweetness does most of the work. One crumble mix serves as both base and topping, which keeps the method simple, and the oats and brown sugar give the crust a chewy, toasted edge. Cutting them warm keeps the slices neat.
Instructions
Combine the cut-up dates, white sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until the mixture has thickened into a jam-like filling. Set it aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter, shortening and brown sugar together until well blended. Stir in the flour, salt, baking soda and oats to make a crumbly crust mixture.
Grease a 13x9-inch pan. Press half of the crumble evenly into the bottom of the pan, then spread the cooled date filling over it.
Scatter the remaining crumble over the filling and press it down lightly. Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is light brown.
Cut into bars while the pan is still warm, since the filling firms up as it cools and the bars will be harder to slice cleanly.
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