Name: Date Bars

Ingredients:

• Date Filling
  • 3 cups chopped pitted dates (1 lb)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Bars
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• In 2-quart saucepan, cook filling ingredients over low heat about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Cool 5 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening.
• In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until well mixed.
• Stir in flour, oats, baking soda and salt until crumbly.
• Press half of the crumb mixture evenly in bottom of pan.
• Spread with filling.
• Top with remaining crumb mixture and press lightly.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown.
• Cool 5 minutes in pan on cooling rack.
• Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm.

Comments: 7/3/2020 - Chopping the dates took a little over 1/2 hour. They might not have had to chopped so finely. Half the crust mixture barely covered the bottom of the 9x13-inch pan, and it did not cover all the date filling. I cut it into 4 by 6 rows. It tasted okay.
11/1/2020 - I made 2/3 of the recipe. It filled an 8x8-inch pan nicely. I cut it into 3 by 4 rows. The result is a little crumbly, but tastes fine.
11/27/2020 - I softened the butter by microwaving it for 30 seconds. I messed up in preparing the bars by adding the flour to the butter and brown sugar before mixing them. I baked it for 25 minutes and then cut in 4 rows by 6 rows in the 9x13-inch pan.
7/24/2021 - It took 1 hour prep time. I cut it in 4 by 4 in the 9x13-inch pan.
2/20/2022 - I had two 1/2-pound bags of pre-chopped dates. In the first step, I used the burner at setting #2, but there was no change after 9 minutes so I switched the burner to #4 and cooked it another 11 minutes. I wiped the pan with canola oil, not having much shortening around. There was adequate crust mixture, and baked it for 30 minutes. I cut the result in a 4x4 pattern again.
4/30/2023 - I followed the amounts in the recipe, with “Can’t Imagine It’s Not butter”. One minute in the microwave melted the margarine. I greased the pan with PAM. I messed up a little by mixing the brown sugar in with the other dry ingredients rather than with the margarine first; it did not seem to matter. There wasn’t quite enough crumb mixture to cover the top without some holes. It took about an hour preparing before I put it in the over for 25 minutes. I cut it in 4 by 4 pieces, and it was good.

Source: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/date-bars/4b716ead-523c-42eb-b589-e48dc5240c3d

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