Date Bars

About a week and a half ago I went to the Old Town Scottsdale farmers market with my parents. My dad bought a date nut bar from a bakery called The Bunnery. Needless to say, the three of us devoured the bar within minutes. It was so delicious we bought two more to take home and eat that night. Once those were gone I could not get  the bars out of my mind. I caught myself daydreaming about the ingredients and how he made them. I decided I HAD to try to make my own, but a healthier version. After a couple of tries I think I've got a pretty great recipe and besides the brown sugar the ingredients are all nutritious. I think this may be tied with the secret ingredient cookie dough as my favorite healthier dessert recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of quick or old fashioned oats (I used old fashioned)

1 cup oat bran (or other flour substitute)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup pecans (finely chopped, this is optional)

1/3 cup melted coconut oil (butter can be used)

2 egg whites

2 cups chopped dates

1 cup water

In a large bowl, mix the oats, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Next, I put the pecans in a food processor and processed them until they became clumpy (see picture above) and mixed them into the oat mixture. Then, add the melted coconut oil and egg whites and mix well.

Pour about 3/4 of the oat mixture into a lightly greased (I used Pam) 8 x 8 dish and press down using a spatula or wax paper. 

Once again, I used the food processor to process the dates. They don't have to be liquid but they should be pretty well chopped. Put the dates and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, while stirring. Continue stirring, but let the dates simmer for about 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thickened.

Using a spatula, spread the date mixture evenly over the oat mixture.

Add the remaining oat mixture on top of the date spread. I added in clumps so some of the date spread could still be seen, but if you have a lot of oat mixture leftover, feel free to cover the whole top.

Finally, bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly brown. When it is taken out of the oven it should not be placed on the stove to cool. I put it on the counter with a pot holder underneath.

Note - while this treat may be enjoyed right out of the oven, I think it tastes best when it has been kept in the fridge.