Date Squares

Name: Date Squares
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: Bakery
Ingredients: 300 g pitted dates, chopped; 250 ml Water; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 150 g rolled oats; 150 g plain flour; 150 g light brown soft sugar; ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda; ¼ tsp Salt; 150 g Butter, melted

Canada’s “matrimonial cake”: jammy date filling between two layers of buttery brown-sugar oat crumble.

Bakery · Biscuits & cookies · prep 20 min · cook 45 min · waiting 1 h · serves 16 · Vegetarian, Nut-free, Pescatarian

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Ingredients

300 g pitted dates, chopped
250 ml Water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Vanilla extract
150 g rolled oats
150 g plain flour
150 g light brown soft sugar
½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp Salt
150 g Butter, melted

Method

Simmer the dates and water in a small pan over medium-low heat for 8–10 min, stirring and mashing, until thick and jammy. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla and leave to cool.
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) and line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper.
Mix the oats, flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then stir in the melted butter until the mixture is evenly moist and crumbly.
Press a little more than half the crumble firmly into the tin. Spread the date filling over it, then scatter the rest of the crumble on top and press it down lightly.
Bake for 30–35 min until the top is golden brown. Cool completely in the tin, ideally for 1 hour, before cutting into 16 squares.

Tips

For gluten-free squares, use certified gluten-free oats and a gluten-free plain flour blend.
Add a handful of chopped walnuts to the crumble for crunch (they then contain tree nuts).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

King Arthur Baking Wikibooks Cookbook

Open Date Squares in Nouns Cooking