Date Squares / Date Oatmeal Bars

These Date Squares are rich, buttery, and perfectly sweetened, featuring a soft date filling layered between a golden, crumbly oatmeal shortbread crust.

These Canadian Date Squares are also known as date slices or matrimonial bars. They consist of two buttery and rich layers of oatmeal crusts sandwiched together with soft, juicy, and sweet date filling.

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• About Homemade Date Squares
• Ingredients and Notes
• How To Make Date Squares
• Storing Suggestions
• FAQ For Date Squares
• Baking Tips
• More Date Recipes
• Date Squares / Date Oatmeal Bars

About Homemade Date Squares

You should try these delicious old-fashioned Canadian Date Squares if you like dates. Date Oatmeal bars are filled with luscious date filling flavored with vanilla. And to make them bright and more enjoyable, I have added citrus flavor with orange juice and zest.

The oatmeal base is firm and holds the squares firmly; the top layer is buttery and crumbly. The middle layer of dates is creamy, soft, and has the right amount of sweetness.

Date Oatmeal Bars are perfect for a quick snack, satisfying a sweet craving, or a convenient bar on the go. It tastes delicious with a cup of tea on cold winter afternoons. I have cut the crust into 16 squares, but you can cut it into smaller squares for the bite-sized ones.

Ingredients and Notes

• Dates: I have used Medjool dates to make these bars. I prefer these dates as they are soft, juicy, and very sweet. However, you can use any variety of soft and sweet dates.
• Water + Orange Juice: We need a total of one cup of liquid to cook the dates. I have used ¾ cup of water and ¼ cup of orange juice. You can change this ratio as you like. Also, instead of orange juice, you can add lemon juice. But make sure to use citrus juice to make these bars flavorful, bright, and enjoyable.
• Orange Zest: It is optional, but highly recommended. If you use lemon juice, add lemon zest.
• Vanilla: It adds a warm and sweet flavor to these bars.
• Salt: It provides a nice contrast to a sweet and creamy date filling. But you can skip if you do not want to add salt to the date puree.
• Oats: I highly recommend using rolled oats to make these date squares. They provide more crunch and flavor. But you can use quick oats if you prefer them.
• All-Purpose Flour: I have used unbleached all-purpose flour. You can use pastry flour instead if you like.
• Sugar: I have used light brown sugar, but you can add white or dark brown sugar.
• Butter: Use cold butter for the nicely crispy oatmeal crusts. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. You can also grate the cold butter using a large grater. If you grate the butter, pulse it with the oatmeal mixture only a couple of times.
• Ground Cinnamon: I have added cinnamon to the oatmeal crust for added flavor, but feel free to add other spices of your choice. Instead of cinnamon or with cinnamon, you can add ground cardamom or nutmeg.

How To Make Date Squares

Making Date Filling

• Place the dates, water, salt, and orange juice in a medium saucepan.
• Cook the mixture on low to medium heat until the dates are soft and all the water is absorbed, for about 5-10 minutes, stirring often.

• Turn off the heat, add vanilla and orange zest, and mix well.
• Set the mixture aside and let it cool completely.

• Then add the date mixture to a food processor or blender and process it into a fine paste.
• Set it aside.

Making Oatmeal Crust

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). 
• Take the 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan and grease it with oil spray or butter.
• Then line it with parchment paper, and keep the parchment paper hanging over both sides. Set it aside.

• Place oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor bowl.
• Pulse the mixture 5-6 times to combine.

• Then add butter cubes and pulse until the oat mixture is crumbly and the butter is pea-sized.
• Instead of butter cubes, you can grate the cold butter with a large grater. And if you use the grated butter, pulse the mixture 2-3 times only.

• Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and quickly crumble with fingers to distribute the butter evenly.

Baking The Date Squares

• Spread ⅔ of the oat mixture into the prepared baking pan and press down gently but firmly to make a crust.

• Now spread the date filling evenly over the oatmeal crust.
• You can use an offset spatula to spread the date mixture evenly.

• Cover the date filling layer with the remaining oat mixture, and press down lightly to compact.

• Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.
• The baking time may vary as every oven is different.
• If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking.
• Transfer the pan onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.

• Then unmold and cut into 16 or 20 squares, depending on the size of the squares.

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