Date and Almond Bars - January, 2023.

Dates possess a sweetness which gets ramped up when paired with orange juice.

I love these bars for the homemade and old-fashioned qualities.

Even if your grandmother never made these, give this recipe a try.

Substitute pecans or pistachios, if you want.

• Ingredients
• FILLING
• 1 ¾ cups pitted and coarsely chopped dried dates
• ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1-2 oranges)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup blanched slivered almonds (or substitute)
• BATTER
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cups quick cooking oats (not instant)
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter almost at room temperature – cut into even pieces

• Directions
• Grease a 9” square baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling - bring the dates, orange juice and granulated sugar to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes. The mixture should be thick.
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the almonds and set aside.
•  
• For the batter sift the flour into a large bowl.
• Stir in the oats, brown sugar and salt using a spoon.
• Add the butter pieces, one at a time, and mix well. The dough will be crumbly.
• Finish mixing with your hands to get a smooth consistency.
• With your hands, press half of batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
• With a spatula, spread the filling evenly on top of the batter.
• Sprinkle the remaining batter on top of the filling.
• Press down with a fork. Don’t worry if the surface is uneven.
• Bake for 30 minutes until the top is light brown and the edges are slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for at least one hour. Cut just before serving.
• Makes 12-16 bars.