Date squares are a quintessential comfort food – familiar, chewy, crunchy and simple. And there’s a bonus – date squares made with oats and dates are actually good for you.
Dates are loaded with fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And while dates are sweet, their high fibre content means that they don’t flood your bloodstream with sugar causing a sugar spike and subsequent sugar low.
Last November, my husband and I travelled to Arizona where we visited Martha's Gardens organic date farm in Yuma. Who knew there was so much to learn about dates? Medjool dates are tender and sweet.
Confection dates, found predominantly in the grocery store and at bulk food stores, can be used to make a date puree or paste for naturally sweetening your food. Date naysayers will be surprised how delicious dates are when added to food in place of table sugar. Watch this video to see how to make date puree for traditional date squares. You can use date puree to replace table sugar in any shake, smoothie or baked goods. Use the date paste in a 1:1 ratio to table sugar.
And by baked goods, this time I mean date squares. This is my favourite, easy date square recipe.I often like to use soft margarine since it produces a little softer square when they are cooled.
Makes 16 squares
2 cups dates, pitted and chopped
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/3 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
PREPARATION
Check out my cookbook, Like Magic! for other comforting, nutritious, and tasty recipes. And find out how you can use the magic of science to release in the chef in you. You can get a copy at JavaJacks.ca, amazon.ca, and indigo.ca.
