Fantastic Date Bars
One of my favorite date bar recipes, for a smooth filling cool the date mixture slightly then puree on a food processor until smooth
Yield 24 bars
INGREDIENTS:
Crust/Crumb Topping:
1 (18-ounce) box yellow cake mix (such as Duncan Hines cake mix)
2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
Date Filling:
2 (600 gram) packages pitted dates, chopped (about 2-1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (or use all white)
1 cup water
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS:———————————————————
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (set oven rack to second-lowest position).
Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
For the date filling; in a saucepan combine the chopped dates with both sugars, water, orange juice and 2 tablespoon butter; bring to a boil over medium-low heat, then simmer until the mixture is thickened pushing down with a fork or a potato masher to break up any large date pieces (the mixture should be semi-smooth and cooking time should take about 15-20 minutes) mix in vanilla then set aside.
For the crumb/crust topping; in a large bowl combine the cake mix with oatmeal, cinnamon and brown sugar.
In a small bowl whisk egg with melted butter and vanilla; add to the cake mix/oat mixture; using clean hands mix until crumbly and the mixture barely holds together.
Pat two-third of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan pressing down gently to cover evenly.
Carefully spread the cooked date mixture over the crust spreading out evenly to cover.
Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top; using hands gently pat the mixture down (do not pat down firmly).
Bake for 20-22 minutes (the top should be very lightly browned).
For easier slicing cool the bars then refrigerate or semi-freeze.
You will also find this recipe on www.recipezazz.com
Related posts:
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
