We’re sticking with another one of the Twelve Days of Cookies for Baked Sunday Mornings this week, and I admit to being more than skeptical about these date squares. I mean, date squares? Ew… they sound like a grandma dessert. Something that is made only out of tradition, but really shouldn’t be made ever again.
I cheated a bit and used pre-chopped dates. There is such a thing. It felt dirty, but it was a weeknight, I was tired, and Google Shopping Express delivered them straight to my door.
The date filling is cooked with a bit of brown sugar until it’s soft. There’s not much more to it. It’s sandwiched between a sugary-salty-oaty layer that’s the perfect foil for the sweet dates. These are deceptively delicious. I couldn’t stop eating them, to be honest. People at work were a bit skeptical (dates? no thanks!), but those that bravely tried one were rewarded with delicious chewy sweet goodness for their mouth.
For the recipe and to see how the other Baked Sunday Mornings bakers fared, head over to Baked Sunday Mornings.
- Date Squares (Baked Occasions, p. 240)
I had pretty much the same experience all around, except I endured the nastiness that is pitting and chopping dates– ewwww. I think of it as a personal growth experience. My co-workers were equally skeptical and (pleasantly) surprised. The toffee sauce was divine!
I did not even know there was such a thing as Google Shopping Express and that they had pre-chopped dates-need to check out this service. Your bars look great. Glad you liked them.
I’m jealous of your pre-chopped dates. I loved these, I agree they sound weird, but sooo delicious.
I had to take the first batch to work, or I would have kept eating them. And the work gang liked them too. Pre-chopped dates doesn’t sound like a bad thing.
Definitely an old fashioned dessert…which is thankfully worth keeping around!