Date Squares - Prize Winning

02/13/2016

20 Min Prep | 30 Min Cook

Comments

---

These date squares won second place in my local fair. Yes these GLUTEN FREE date squares won 4TH PLACE against all wheat made date squares! So rest assure that not only did this recipe win a ribbon but it won it over many glutenous versions. So I hope you too enjoy it as much, or more that the judges did.

Also I hope you appreciate my pun in choosing "date" squares for my valentine's day recipe post, the day where a lot of people go on "dates!"

---

Ingredients:
1 cups Flour
1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
3/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 Butter
(1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Filling:
1 lb. Dates, after pitting
1 cup Water
1 tsp Extract (Almond, Lemon, Orange)
(1/2 tsp cinnamon)
(1/4 tsp Cloves)
(1/4 tsp Allspice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the dates and water. Bring to a boil, and cook until thickened. Stir in lemon juice, and remove from heat. Puree.

In a large bowl, combine oats, flours, salt, brown sugar, and baking soda. Mix in butter until crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9" square baking pan.

Spread half the crisp in the pan and press firmly. Layer with the date mixture. Cover with the remaining crisp and press lightly. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crisp is golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack completely. Unmould and cut into 9 to 16 squares.