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These tasty Streusel-Topped Date Bars use the same buttery crumb mixture for the crust and the crumb topping! It complements the sweet date filling marvelously!

A Date Squares Recipe is an easy way to enjoy a sweet tropical fruit. Did you know these were often individually wrapped and given out at weddings? That’s why they were also dubbed Matrimonial Bars!

Date bars on a white ceramic tray.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make
4 Recipe Tips
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 You May Also Like
7 Date Bars Recipe

Why You Must Make

  • If you’re a fan of dates, you’ll love these date bars.
  • The combination of buttery streusel and a simple date filling is fabulous!
  • They’re a nice change of pace for dessert, an afterschool snack, or a picnic or potluck.
Date Streusel Bars Ingredients with labels on a sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples – Water, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Flour, Baking Soda
  • Dates – I used Medjool dates
  • Butter – I used salted butter
  • Quick Oats – Not as chewy as old-fashioned oats, so make a more tender crust and crumble topping.
  • Salt – I used table salt as I find its fine grains disperse more evenly in the dough.

How to Make

Bowl of crrumble. Step 1.
Crumbs for crust and topping.
Pan of date filling. Step 2.
Date filling in a saucepan.
Half the crumbs pressed in pan for crust. Step 3.
Crumbs pressed in pan.
Date topping added.
Bars with crumb topping in pan. Step 5
Crumbs added, and baked.
Date bars on a white ceramic tray.
Finished Date Bars

Recipe Tips

  • PRO-Tip: Line your baking pan with nonstick foil. This does double duty as a sling to remove the cooled bars from the pan to the cutting board and also keeps the pan clean so it’s easy to wash.
  • Use an offset spatula to spread on the date puree. It helps to make an even layer.
  • Use your fingers and hands to squeeze the crumble to make larger pieces.
  • Bake until the crumble is lightly browned.
  • PRO-Tip: This recipe easily doubles and can be made in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. This larger version will make approximately 36 bars.
  • If you love dates, you will also enjoy my Sticky Toffee Puddings and Bacon Wrapped Dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kind of Dates Are Best for Date Bars?

Medjool dates are what I recommend. They’re darker with delicious caramel undertones.

Are Date Bars Healthy?

They do pack a few calories, but the dates have some nutritional value including fiber, iron, antioxidants, protein plus vitamins and minerals.

How Long Will Date Bars Keep?

If stored in an airtight container, they will stay fresh for 3-4 days at room temperature, 1 week in the refrigerator, and up to 2 months in the freezer. If you freeze your date squares, defrost them in the container overnight in the refrigerator.

You May Also Like

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2 date streusel bars on a small square white plate.
The Recipe:

Date Bars Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Yield 16 bars

Rich, buttery Crumb Topped Date Bars

Ingredients

Date Filling

  • 1 ½ cups chopped dates, Medjool recommended
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Crust and Crumb Topping

  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup quick oats (not old-fashioned)
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Cook the filling ingredients in a saucepan on low heat, stirring and breaking up the mixture for about 10 minutes, until thick.
  2. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400° and line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick foil (or grease with cooking spray).
  4. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.
  5. Add the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt and mix until crumbly.
  6. Press half the crumbs onto the bottom of the baking pan.
  7. Spread the date mixture over the crust.
  8. Pinch the remaining crumbs to form larger crumbs for the topping. Spread over the filling, then press gently.
  9. Bake 20-25 minutes until the topping is light brown.
  10. Cool before slicing into bars.

Notes

You may double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Add about 5 more minutes to the baking time or until light brown.

Adapted from Betty Crocker.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 1g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Bar Cookies