This date bars are a Canadian classic with a crunchy oatmeal base, sprinkles and a sweet, sticky date filling. They’re perfect for snacks, potlucks, or a casual dessert.
Adapted from Emma Zimmerman | The Miller’s Daughter Hardie Grant, 2022
You will make friends with this date bar recipe. At least that’s how it worked for my friend Lucie. She passed around a can of her mom’s date squares at my very first McGill grad seminar and I immediately decided that this girl would be my new best friend.
Luckily for me, she turned out to be smart, funny, and loyal, and also had great taste in baking. Our blossoming friendship was enriched by more shared candy cans from her mother, along with an extensive Canadian education – from ice fishing and maple cones to canal walking and poutine eating.
I’ve found that date squares are a classic Canadian potluck staple, so it makes sense to update them with Canada’s traditional wheat, Red Fife. This recipe is named after the very charming village on the Ottawa River where Lucie grew up: Burnstown, Ontario.Emma Zimmerman
Frequently asked questions about the date bar
We’re glad you asked. Traditional flours are a treasure – but sourcing them can be a challenge. Luckily we have the internet. Our friends at Hayden Flour Mills carry Red Fife products.
Slow Food Canada explains it best with Red Fife bread: “…a hay-yellow crumb with an intense aroma of herbs and vegetables, tinged with a slight acidity.” The nose has notes of aniseed and fennel, and in the mouth the bread is unexpectedly rich with a slightly herbaceous and tangy taste.” We’ve also heard that it lends a delicate texture and a nutty, cinnamon-like nuance to baked goods. Sounds fantastic to us!
Yes, and it couldn’t be easier. Simply add whatever variety of oats you have at home (quick-cooked, old-fashioned, or even steel-cut) to your food processor or high-speed blender and blend until you have a fine-textured flour, about 60 seconds.
☞ Do you like bars and squares? Try these:
Make the filling
-
Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F) and line a 20 cm (8 inch) square cake tin with baking paper.
-
Place the dates in a small saucepan, add 1 cup of water and simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the dates are soft. Remove the pan from the heat and use a wooden spoon to mash the mixture into a smooth paste.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you’re having trouble mashing your dates, place them in the food processor and puree until smooth.
-
Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla and set aside.
Make the dough
-
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground spices, then add the butter and blend until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the brown sugar until evenly distributed.
-
Press two-thirds of the dough firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Add the date filling, spreading evenly with a spatula, then lightly sprinkle over the remaining crumbly batter.
-
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the date filling is bubbling through the crumbles.
-
Remove from the oven and allow the date bars to cool completely in the pan.
-
Cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife and serve. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Portion: 1 barCalories: 273 kcalCarbohydrates: 40 GProtein: 3 GFat: 12 GSaturated Fatty Acids: 7 GPolyunsaturated fat: 1 GMonounsaturated fatty acids: 3 Gtrans fats: 0.5 GCholesterol: 30 mgSodium: 79 mgPotassium: 199 mgFiber: 2 GSugar: 27 GVitamin A: 356 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 30 mgIron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is calculated automatically and should therefore only be used as an approximation.
Recipe tester reviews
A creamy date filling sandwiched between two layers of flavorful buttery crust is all it takes to make this date bars recipe. Add to that the fact that it can all be done with minimal effort, and it’s one to keep in your regular arsenal of popular dessert bars.
I ended up making the date bar recipe twice. For the first batch, I questioned the amount of baking powder, thinking it would make the batter too soft, which it did for me and my tasters.
Although the taste was delicious – one person said “heavenly” – the texture of the crust closely resembled the date filling. Some described them as “light,” but the bars were actually more gooey even though they were done baking. We were looking for a crust that would give it a more stable structure.
I remade the date bars, added 3 tablespoons toasted oatmeal, and replaced the soda with baking soda. Those who compared both versions felt that the additives helped develop the desired crust – soft enough, but still with a firm base. (It was neither crispy nor hard.)
This date bar recipe is a classic. Butter biscuit base, sweet date filling with a hint of lemon and topped with buttery crumble. So good.
You can definitely get more than 16 out of the recipe – they’re pretty sweet – half a square with an espresso is just perfect after dinner!
These date bars were super easy to make and really tasty. They were well received by both adults and children. On the day of baking, they were tender and tender; The next day, after being put in the fridge, they became firmer and one tester stated that they were better the next day!
Mine took a lot longer to cook (60 minutes) but otherwise had no problems.
I brought these date-filled bars to work and they vanished almost instantly, receiving rave reviews! These date bars couldn’t be simpler and the recipe is great to have in your pocket as it can be easily personalized with different dried fruits/spices etc.
The dates are so delicious as a filling, and the oatmeal and cardamom are delicious additions that set these bars apart from their counterparts while still offering something that feels approachable and inviting.
The bars are pretty sweet, definitely a dessert, but with a little less sugar they could be a bit more breakfast friendly.
Originally published September 21, 2022