Date Squares (The Best)

Name: Date Squares (The Best)
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients: 2.5 cups Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (lightly packed); 1 cup water; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 0.5 tsp baking soda; 1.75 cups quick-cooking oats; 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 0.75 cup brown sugar; 0.25 tsp baking powder; 0.75 cup semi-salted butter, softened

1h 25m

Serves 16

ricardocuisine.com

Date Squares (The Best)

ricardocuisine.com

1h 25m

Serves 16

Directions

1With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
2Line a 20-cm (8-inch) square baking dish with a strip of parchment paper, letting it hang over both sides.
3Butter the other two sides of the baking dish.
4In a pot, bring the dates, water, lemon juice, and brown sugar to a boil.
5Add the baking soda and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, or until the dates have fallen apart.
6Let the date filling cool.
7In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking powder.
8Add the softened butter to the oat mixture and stir to combine.
9Spread half the crisp mixture in the prepared baking dish and press firmly.
10Layer the date mixture evenly over the crisp.
11Cover the date mixture with the remaining crisp and press lightly.
12Bake for 55 minutes or until the crisp is golden brown.
13Let cool on a wire rack for 4 hours.
14Unmould the date squares and cut into 16 squares.

Ingredients

2.5 cups Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (lightly packed)
1 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
0.5 tsp baking soda
1.75 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
0.75 cup brown sugar
0.25 tsp baking powder
0.75 cup semi-salted butter, softened

Equipment

ovenbaking dishparchment paperpotwooden spoonbowlwire rack

Tips

If you can’t find Medjool dates, use regular dried dates.
Let cool on a wire rack for 4 hours. Unmould and cut into 16 squares.

Date Squares (The Best)

1h 25m

Serves 16

ricardocuisine.com

Date Squares (The Best)

ricardocuisine.com

1h 25m

Serves 16

Directions

1With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
2Line a 20-cm (8-inch) square baking dish with a strip of parchment paper, letting it hang over both sides.
3Butter the other two sides of the baking dish.
4In a pot, bring the dates, water, lemon juice, and brown sugar to a boil.
5Add the baking soda and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, or until the dates have fallen apart.
6Let the date filling cool.
7In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking powder.
8Add the softened butter to the oat mixture and stir to combine.
9Spread half the crisp mixture in the prepared baking dish and press firmly.
10Layer the date mixture evenly over the crisp.
11Cover the date mixture with the remaining crisp and press lightly.
12Bake for 55 minutes or until the crisp is golden brown.
13Let cool on a wire rack for 4 hours.
14Unmould the date squares and cut into 16 squares.