Medjool Date Oat Bars
If you are looking for an easy recipe to show you how to bake a wholesome date bar, the perfect accompaniment to go with your morning cuppa, then please look no further.
This simple to make date bar recipe has all the natural goodness of sweet Medjool dates, lemon, oats and desiccated coconut baked together and cut into finger sized bars.
The recipe calls for an oblong tin but I had no problem baking the slice in a circular round sandwich tin (please see the additional images) and removing the corners before slicing into the traditional finger sized bar shapes.
Please read the NOTES before you embark on making the Medjool Date Oat Bar as guidance is supplied regarding removing the slice from the tin after baking.
Keeps 2-3 days in the fridge, thats if you can stop yourself from eating it all immediately.
Ingredients
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Filling:
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250g Medjool dates- stones removed and coarsely chopped
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3 tbsp water
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1 medium lemon- juice only approximately 2 tbsp
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Oat Base:
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125g butter- softened
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100g caster sugar
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1 egg
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1 tbsp golden syrup
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1 tsp vanilla essence
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150g wholemeal flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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Pinch of salt- optional
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80g rolled oats
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100g desiccated coconut
Instructions
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Make filling:
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01 Put dates, water and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Cook over a low heat until dates are soft and a thick paste like mixture has formed. Set aside to cool.
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Make oat base:
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02 Cream together butter and sugar until light in colour and fluffy in texture. Add the egg, vanilla essence and golden syrup. Beating well.
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03 Now fold in the wholemeal flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, oats and desiccated coconut. Mix well until all the ingredients form a thick, smooth paste like dough.
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04 Divide this base mixture into equal half portions. Set aside.
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Assemble:
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05 Spoon one half of the base mixture into the prepared tin which has been lined with a strip of non stick paper, making sure to cover all of the base.
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06 Now spoon in all the cooled date filling, smoothing the surface with the back of a spoon.
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07 Finally add the remaining oat base mixture to form the top, and decorate smooth (see image). The oat mixture can be sticky so add in small lumps and smooth again with the back of a metal spoon.
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To bake:
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08 Place on a tray and bake in the centre of the oven until golden brown (see image).
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09 Leave to cool in the tin before turning and cutting into bars. To prevent any possible crumbling, best to chill overnight or in the fridge a couple of hours before attempting to cut into bar shapes.
Notes
This mixture fits a 20 x 30 cm sponge roll tin (which is best) or a 20cm shallow sandwich cake tin (see image). Both MUST be lined with a collar of non stick paper to ensure ease when removal from the tin, plus I hugely recommend to chill overnight before removing from tin to cut. This will allow everything to become firm and prevent breakage during the cutting stage. If you cannot wait overnight, then certainly chill in the fridge once cool enough and keep there until the pastry feels firm to the touch.
