Date Crumble Bars
Inspired by techniques from King Arthur Baking.
A thick oat crust is pressed into the pan, topped with a lemony stewed-date filling, and finished with the same oat mixture studded with chopped nuts for a crumbled top. Cooling the bars completely before cutting is what lets the sticky middle layer hold the squares together.
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Method
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 175 °C (155 °C fan). Lightly grease a 23 cm square pan or line it with parchment.
- 2
Cook the date filling. Combine the dates, water, salt and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the mixture has thickened.
- 3
Cool the filling. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and set aside to cool while you make the crust.
- 4
Mix the crust. Whisk the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter until evenly combined.
- 5
Press the base. Press about 450 g (roughly two-thirds) of the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan, right into the corners.
- 6
Fill and top. Spread the date filling over the crust. Stir the chopped nuts into the remaining crust mixture and scatter it over the filling, pressing lightly so it sticks.
- 7
Bake. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- 8
Cool and cut. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.
Storage
Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Free sugars
8.6 g per serving
17.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 34.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- small saucepan
- medium bowl
- whisk
- 23 cm square baking pan
- parchment paper
- wooden spoon or spatula
- chef's knife
- cooling rack
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 203 kcal |
| Protein | 2.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 33 g |
| of which sugars | 20.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 8.6 g |
| Fat | 7.7 g |
| of which saturates | 3.8 g |
| Fibre | 2.5 g |
| Salt | 0.4 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
