This recipe is adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion's recipe for Bakery Date Squares. The original called for only dates and had a variant filling recipe using figs and orange juice; this version mixes up dates and figs for that Tu BiShvat flavor!
Ingredients
Filling
3 cups of chopped dates and figs
1 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
Crust
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions
Filling
- In a saucepan, combine the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. The mixture will thicken after a few minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool. I ran the immersion blender through it to give it a nice smooth texture and let it sit for a while.
Crust
- Whisk together the dry ingredients (except the nuts) and then add the melted butter. Stir until well combined.
- Lightly grease a 9x9 inch pan and press 2 1/2 cups of the crust mixture into the pan, smoothing it out to fill the bottom with no gaps.
- Spread the filling on the crust. Add the nuts to the remaining crust mixture and sprinkle it over the filling.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden brown. Let cool before cutting.
