Easy Homemade Breakfast Date and Oat Bars - Date Squares
Easy Homemade Breakfast Date and Oat Bars - Date Squares - This is the perfect treat for an on the go breakfast/snack. They are also great for the holidays or for Ramadan/Eid. These date bars are made up of a crumbly shortbread like crust with a jammy date mixture middle. They have a wonderful chewy texture and are seriously addictive.
Ingredients
Date Paste
- 200 g Medjool Dates Pitted
- 50 g Honey
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
- 120 ml Water
- 15 g Plain Flour
- Pinch Fennel Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
Oat Crumble
- 150 g Oats
- 180 g Plain Flour All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 200 g Light Brown Sugar
- 180 g Butter Melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5, 190 C/375 F.
Date Paste
- Place Dates and the rest of the ingredients for the DAte paste (Honey, Lemon Juice, Water, Fennel, Cardamom, Sesame Seeds and Flour) to a pot over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir occasionally to create a paste.
- Cook for 5 minutes then remove from the pot and set aside to cool.
Oat Crumble
- To make the Oat Crumble Shortbread layer, combine Oats, Plain Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Melted Butter and Salt in a bowl and mix together in a large bowl to create a Dough. You can also add all the ingredients to a food processor.
- Place ⅔rds of the mixture into a 20cm tin lined with baking paper/parchment paper. Bake for 5 minutes. Then remove from the Oven.
- Spread the Date layer on top of the Oat mixture.
- Crumble over the remaining shortbread crumb.
- Place the tin in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes and cook till golden brown.
- Leave to cool for 1 hour before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Although you can eat them at this stage too if you prefer!
Notes
Tips for making Date Bars
Use a larger piece of baking paper This makes it easier to lift the date bars out of the tin once done. Press the crumb into the bottom of the tin You want to make sure that everything is uniform and that the bars won’t fall apart. Let the bars cool completely before cutting them Leave the bars to cool for 1 hour before cutting.Variations for homemade date bars
Add your favourite seeds/spices to the date mixture - Great options are Coconuts - shredded or Coconut Flakes and chopped Nuts such as Walnuts or Pecans. Add Vanilla Extract - Or vanilla bean paste. This tastes lovely in the delicious date filling. Add mini Chocolate Chips - I would recommend milk chocolate chips. Make it Vegan - Use Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil instead of Butter and replace the Honey with Maple Syrup to make them Vegan. I have't actually tried this myself but it should work. Do let me know if you give it a go!Serving Suggestions
These Date bars are best eaten as they are. You could perhaps try them with a drizzle of seed butter such as Tahini or Nut butter such as Peanut Butter.Storage
How long do Date Bars keep? These bars keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.Date bars also freeze really well, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 158mgFiber: 2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
