I have never cooked with dates, but I thought, ‘Tis the season! I’m a big softy for old fashioned bakery treats. These bars are loaded with old fashioned oats, and a moist and sweet dried fruit filling. Are you thinking fig newton? Yes, but these bars are 10x more scrumptious and satisfying!

I’ll be making these again, but next time I’m adding the only thing that can make anything better…chocolate

Ingredients:

Date Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust/Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8×8-inch metal baking pan, or line pan with aluminum foil for easy cutting and serving.

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to simmer in medium saucepan. Add dates; simmer until very soft and thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl; stir to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until moist clumps form. Press half of oat mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Spread date mixture over. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture; press gently to adhere. Bake until brown at edges and golden brown and set in center, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into bars and serve.

Tip: 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, can be added to the oat bar mixture if desired.

This recipe was adapted from Epicurious.