Not Your Usual Date Bars Food

OLD-FASHIONED DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs one at a time.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Mix together flour, baking powder, and baking soda; and gradually add to the creamed mixture.
• Fold in the dates and nuts.
• Spread the batter evenly in a greased 13x9 baking pan and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until golden.
• Cool in pan.
• Cut into approximately 24 bars.

NOT YOUR USUAL DATE BARS

Steps:

• In saucepan cook dates, milk and cream cheese over medium-low heat until dates are soft and mixture is blended.
• Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and sour cream or yogurt and mix well.
• Mix baking soda and salt with flour and add to mixture, mixing well.
• Stir in by hand, slightly cooled date mixture and nuts.
• Spread in greased 15x10 jellyroll pan.
• Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
• ICING:.
• Brown the butter on low heat, be careful not to burn.
• Stir into remaining ingredients, beat until smooth.
• Add small amount of milk if icing is too thick; spread over warm bars.

DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Stir in oil and honey until well blended together.
• Combine dates and water and simmer in a saucepan for about 5 minutes until soft and thick.
• Stir in honey.
• Pat only half of the crust into a greased 8x8 square pan making a thin layer all the way to the edges.
• Spread date filling over the crust smoothing it out so it covers all of the crust beneath it.
• Pat the remaining crust out on wax paper and transfer ontop of the date filling, remove wax paper.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes untili firm and golden.
• Cool in pan.
• Cut in small squares to serve. Enjoy!

MARZIPAN DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream butter and both sugars together in a large bowl.
• Add egg and vanilla then blend well. Next add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
• Add oats and dates and stir to blend.
• Press half the date mixture into an ungreased 8X8 glass baking dish.
• Roll the almond paste between 2 sheets of wax paper to form an 8X8 square.
• Place the almond paste on top of the date layer in the dish and press into place.
• Put the rest of the date mix on top of the marzipan layer and press it flat on top.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes or more before cutting.

DATE BARS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch square pan. In a small saucepan, combine the dates, 1/4 cup brown sugar, orange zest, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, allspice, lemon juice and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until dates are soft and the mixture becomes a thick paste, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• To make the crust and topping, stir together the oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers. Mixture should be coarse and crumbly. Stir in 2 tablespoons water until evenly distributed. Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the date mixture evenly over the crust all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the date layer. Press down lightly.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is lightly toasted. Cool completely before cutting into bars.