Oatmeal Date Bars

My over-stuffed pantry called out again. The mission to get it back in order is real. My constant desire to try new things conflicts with it though. Each time one item is gone, its space gets filled with another. Wash, rinse, spin, dry, repeat. The cycle keeps going. Anyway, I did manage to use up one item with Oatmeal Date Bars. Actually two, yet one is a staple I must keep on hand.

I need to research apps to help the situation. Plug in what you have on hand and it gives you recipes to make with them. Imagine the possibilities. There would be ones you never would think of on your own. Options to set amount of time involved or cuisine would be fantastic too. Perhaps there is an app out there. Or someone needs to get developing one.

These Oatmeal Date Bars are quite crumbly. They are sweet treats with oats, chewy dates, and crunchy pecans. Brown sugar gives them a hint of molasses flavor. Note the edges will crumble when you cut it into bars. Scoop up all those crumbs and save them. Use the crumbs for an ice cream topping. I’d even crumble up a bar and sprinkle it over yogurt.

What’s in your pantry you need to use? I still have several half bags of assorted baking chips; cinnamon, white, and butterscotch. My pasta supply is a little crazy too. Those fun pasta shapes and colors get me every time. For instance, the tree shaped ones I used in Bacon Spinach Pasta. Oh, and take a look at my Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread if you enjoy dates and nuts.

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Oatmeal Date Bars

Oatmeal Date Bars are sweet, crumbly treats with chewy dates and crunchy pecans. They are a great snack and terrific crumbled over ice cream.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 18 bars

Author Renee

Ingredients

For the date layer:

• 2/3 cup chopped dates
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

For the oatmeal layers:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Line bottom and up two sides of baking dish with parchment paper. Lightly grease parchment paper.

For the date layer:

1. Place dates, flour, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Toss to coat dates with flour and brown sugar.

For the oatmeal layers:

1. Cream butter in a large bowl. Gradually add brown sugar, beating well.
2. Whisk together flour, oats, pecans, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and beat to combine. Mixture will be crumbly.

For the bars:

1. Press half of the oat mixture evenly into the baking dish.
2. Top evenly with date mixture.
3. Press remaining half of oats mixture over dates.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool completely in baking dish.
5. Remove from pan and cut into bars, approximately 1 1/4 X 3 inches.
6. Bars will crumble on the edges when cutting. Save those crumbles! They are a great ice cream topping.

Recipe Notes

Oatmeal Date Bars are sweet, crumbly treats with chewy dates and crunchy pecans. They are a great snack and terrific crumbled over ice cream.

Recipe adapted from one in the Southern Living 1985 Annual Recipes cookbook (out of print).