Orange Date Spread Food

FROSTED ORANGE DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, 1/2 cup butter, water and dates. Cook, stirring frequently until dates have softened and the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the date mixture, then mix in the 1/4 cup orange juice, milk, eggs and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To make the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, cream cheese and orange zest. Beat until smooth. Gradually mix in the remaining orange juice a tablespoon at a time until the icing is spreadable. Spread over the bars when cool. Cut into squares.

ORANGE DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, then grease a 15"x10" baking pan.
• In a saucepan, combine dates, brown sugar, water & butter, then bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer 5 minutes or until dates are softened, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat & stir in chocolate chips.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk & orange juice.
• In another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda & salt, then ALTERNATELY add this dry mixture AND the orange juice mixture to the date mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in the walnuts, then pour into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven & let cool on a wire rack.
• For the glaze, in a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter & orange zest, then stir in milk a little at a time until glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over the cooled base before cutting.into bars.

ORANGE DATE BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in walnuts, dates and orange zest. Pour into two greased and floured 8x4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until done. Combine glaze ingredients; spoon half over hot bread. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; spoon remaining glaze over bread.

WALNUT DATE SPREAD

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine dates and nuts; cover and process until finely chopped. While processor is running, add orange juice until blended.

ORANGE AND DATE BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Make syrup:
• Stir first 3 ingredients in small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Mix in honey, orange flower water and almond extract. Cool.
• Make filling:
• Combine first 4 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, process until dates are minced. Add juice; process until coarse paste forms.
• Make baklava:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Stack phyllo on work surface. Using bottom of 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan as guide, cut out two 8-inch-square stacks, making 24 squares.
• Butter inside of same pan. Place 2 phyllo squares in pan. Brush with butter; sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar. Repeat layering of phyllo squares (2 at a time), butter and sugar 4 more times (a total of 10 phyllo squares). Spread half of filling over. Top with 2 phyllo squares. Brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Repeat with 2 more squares, butter and sugar. Spread with remaining filling. Layer 10 squares (2 at a time) over filling, brushing with butter and sprinkling with sugar. Using knife, score top into 16 squares (do not cut through to filling).
• Bake baklava until deep golden, about 30 minutes. Cut through scored lines to bottom of pan. Spoon cool syrup over hot baklava. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover. Let stand at room temperature.)

ORANGE DATE NUT BRAN MUFFINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Grease one 12-cup muffin tin.
• In a large bowl, combine bran cereal, water and oil, stirring until bran softens.
• In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, orange juice, molasses, honey, orange zest, and egg until blended.
• In a small bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt.
• Add buttermilk mixture to bran, stirring to combine.
• Add flour mixture, dates and walnuts to bran mixture, stirring just until flour is moistened.
• Spoon into muffin cups, and bake until top springs back when lightly pressed, about 18 minutes.
• Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.