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Tahoe recipe: Make it a ‘date’ with these yummy bars

Simone Grandmain
Special to the Bonanza
Willi's date bars' old-fashioned goodness will make you happy you revisited baking.
Courtesy Simone Grandmain |

No I have not joined eharmony.com, though this recipe does make me feel very loving toward the man who sent it my way.

In fact, we could have zero in common. He could even hate food, and I would stalk him — correction! — date him to get my hands on the secret behind these confections.

Fortunately, there is no need for me to commit a felony today as, first of all, he is a great guy, and secondly, as I said, he very willingly shared the recipe with me.



It is very, very good. “Incredible” comes to mind. You know it has to be something special to drop the baking boycott I had declared after the holidays.

Another reason these delicious date bars convinced me to resume a relationship with my oven is they are perfect to stick in your jacket or backpack when hitting the slopes, a long walk in the outdoors or, in my case, meandering a drive-thru.



I really should have called this column “Have date bars, will travel.” Maybe it is time for me to change my match.com profile…

Willi’s Date Bars

Ingredients for the dough:

1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 and 3/4 cups flour    

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup melted butter

For the filling:

1 pound pitted dates, finely chopped

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

grated rind of one lemon

grated rind of one orange

Also:

Powdered sugar for the topping or a confectioners sugar glaze.

Confectioner sugar glaze: Mix one cup of powdered sugar with a teaspoon of water until smooth.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make your filling first. Boil dates with sugar and water until smooth. Add the grated rinds of lemon and orange. Set aside to cool.

For the dough, mix all the ingredients, pat half the mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan. To make the bars, spread the date mixture over this layer, then pat the remaining dough over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

Cut while still warm  and dust with powdered sugar, or drizzle on a confectioners sugar glaze.

Simone Grandmain is an internationally published travel and food writer who currently calls Truckee-Tahoe home. She welcomes your recipes, kitchen “must-haves” and food news at simonegrandmain@gmail.com.


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