Today I'm trying a new take on an old family recipe for Date Bars. I'm using whole organic deglet dates that I found from SunRidge Farms, certified organic by QAI (Quality Assurance International). And I'm omitting the cup of sugar in the recipe completely, without adding any other type of sweetener to take its place. I'm also using a mixture of whole oat flour, oat bran, and rolled oats instead of the white flour in the original recipe. These cookies have eggs in them; I'll try making a vegan recipe next.
Here is my new recipe for "Date Pecan Oat Bars":
325ยบ F Oven, Preheated
8x8 glass baking dish, buttered
22 minutes (toothpick test comes out clean)
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup whole oat flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/3 cup oat bran (Bob's Red Mill)
1/3 cup extra thick rolled oats (Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (non-aluminum)
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
Mix the ingredients in the order listed above, spread evenly in the buttered (or oiled) glass baking dish, and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 22 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the dish before slicing into squares and removing.
And now let's see how they taste... My husband tried them first, "They remind me of Christmas!" he said. He found them to be quite sweet, and they certainly didn't need any of the missing sugar, but maybe they could have had less of the dates too!
I tried them next and wow that was good. Just the right combination of dates, oats, and pecans. It tasted like pecan pie, only more pure and natural. But very rich, even though the only fat was from what was in the eggs and the pecans. They're moist, compact, and can be cut into tiny squares or cubes to be eaten with one's fingers. These would make a good hors d'oeuvre, for special occasions!
Related Blog Articles:
Trying Out New Cookie Recipes
No More Sugar
In The Name Of Macrobiotics
