The Date Squares Square Off

 

I love dates squares. This has been my go to date square recipe, in fact the base of this recipe has been used  for a few other tasty squares including the strawberry/rhubarb cheesecake squares that if you love  a summer treat that is for you and everyone else. Date squares though are pretty much loved any time of year. 

Here is the recipe from The Great Bake Take and Go baking book. 

Oat Base and Topping Ingredients

All-purpose flour                              245 g              1¾ cups

Cinnamon                                          3 g                 ½ tsp

Rolled oats                                        180 g             2 cups

Brown sugar                                     200 g             1 cup

Butter (cold, cubed)                         170 g             3/4 cup

Baking soda                                      2 g                  1/2 tsp

Salt                                                     3 g                1/2 tsp

Filling Ingredients

Pitted dates                                         600 g                 4 cups

Water (may need a little more)          375 g             11/2 cups

Brown sugar                                         90g                1/3 cup

Vanilla                                                     6 g                 ½ tsp

Method: 

1. Boil on medium heat until dates are soft, about 5-10 minutes the allow to cool. You may need to add a bit of water for this part. Allow to cool.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, oats, and cinnamon together.  

3. Combine the butter, salt, and sugar.

4. Put butter mix and oat mix together and combine well to make a crumble. You may want to use your

hands to mix.

5. Press half of the oat mix on a greased bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

6. Next, add cooled date mixture and spread evenly.

7. Put the other half of the oat mix on top. Some people like a little thicker bottom and less on top.

Use your preference.

8. Bake 350°F for 25–30 minutes.

9. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Bake 350  25-30 mins

This recipe is a combination of 4 different recipes. We are trying to keep the calories under control without compromising taste.

Try adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the filling for bit more tang. At Dobbits' Bakehouse which sadly is no longer in business, we added dried cranberries to the date filling which was a delightful addition. I have heard of others adding pineapple to the filling. Both are added of course during the date boiling part of the recipe.

Because the title is called the Date Square Square Off, I wanted to share my Aunt Eleanor's date square recipe.  I took a photo while visiting my cousin Nancy in Sussex New Brunswick. They are all great bakers. The amounts of flour and butter are a different in the base and topping and the addition of a wee bit of cinnamon. This is just a personal preference. For the filling the difference is sugar amount and type. Also the addition of vanilla in the above recipe. Lastly the bake time is different. The date squares Aunt Eleanor made were always so tasty and I think they tasted so good because she was making them for the people she loved.

Here is a great picture of Aunt Eleanor when she was quite young. She was one of nine children. I remember meeting her for the first time when we moved to New Brunswick from Ontario. Dad pulled up to their farm house in Perth/Andover with a eight kids in the back of a station wagon and mom in the front. They were all so happy to see us. It was like a miracle because in those days it did not seem like anyone wanted to see a bunch of kids pull up and know they all needed to be feed. It was fun meeting another family that had more children than we did. All relatives, new cousins to get to know.

One of the older girl cousins had made a batch of no bake haystack cookies. You know the ones made of cocoa, oatmeal, coconut and butter. 

There was rolling dirt farm roads along a tree log fence, chickens running around and one of the boy cousins pulled some long beautiful orange carrots out of the garden and washed them with a garden hose. That was the first thing we ate while our mouths watered to get one of those chocolate delights cooling down on the cookie trays in the kitchen. 

Dog Wisdom: If you give me a gift such as a treat or toy, I will graciously and happily accept it wagging my tail in delight. To all you humans out there, you should do the same when offered a gift, accept it happily and graciously. Remember though to save the tail wagging for the dogs.