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kanadischer Dattel Streuselkuchen vom Blech ohne Hefe mit Haferflocken

Date Squares - Canadian recipe for date bars

Date Squares – this traditional Canadian recipe for date bars with oatmeal crumble topping is so easy to make and they turn out perfect every time. An old fashioned Canadian recipe for the best date squares ever!

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Canadian date squares recipe, date squares recipe, recipe for date bars
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 350 kcal
Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

Filling

  • 3 + 1/8 cups dates Medjool
  • 3/4 cups water 6 fl ounces, 180 ml - or orange juice
  • 3 tbsps butter 40 g
  • 1- 2 tbsps coconut sugar or brown sugar, or xylitol
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg or cardamom
  • 1 tbsps vanilla extract
  • 1 lemon

Crust and Crumble Topping

  • 2 cups rolled oats 180 g
  • 3/4 cups shredded coconut
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg or cardamom
  • 1 3/4 cups flour + 1 tbsp, 235 g
  • 1/2 cup sugar susbtitute with xylitol for refined sugar-free
  • 50 g coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 cup butter ice cold

Instructions

Filling:

  1. Chop the dates up a bit and add them to the pot with water or orange juice, butter, sugar, and spices, a pinch of salt, and bring everything to a boil on medium heat. Zest the lemon and juice it. Grate the lemon zest straight into the measured out sugar you are going to use for the crumble crust. Rub it in using your fingers so that the peel lets go of its oil and the sugar gets all aromatic and lemony.

  2. Add lemon juice to the date filling and continue to boil the date filling until nice and thick.  Watch if well so that it doesn't burn or stick to the pan. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Let cool.

Crust and Crumble:

  1. Preheat the oven to 356 F (180C). Line a (23 x 33 cm) baking tin with baking paper. 

  2. Add all dry ingredients for the crust to a bowl. Grate the ice-cold butter right into the dry ingredients using a box grater. Rub everything together quickly to form streusel. 

  3. Add half of the streusel dough to the pan and press down and into the edges to form a crust. Spread date filling on top. Sprinkle remaining streusel on top. Gently press down to compact the top crust a bit. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the streusels are golden brown. Should the topping brown too quickly, cover with some aluminum foil. 

  4. Let cool down completely before cutting into squares. 

Recipe Notes

  • Medjool dates are best in this recipe for date bars as they are nice and big and process perfectly into a perfectly sweet smooth filling.
  • Always use cold butter for your crust, this is a rule to live and die by in baking.
  • You can use orange juice instead of water and use some orange zest in the filling. Or use a 1:1 mix of both. I do recommend adding some lemon juice to lend some brightness to the date filling. 
  • DO NOT SKIP THE LEMON JUICE AND ZEST. Without the lemon or any kind of citrus added, I find date squares fairly boring. Still delicious but lacking flavor. The lemon really makes the filling sing! 
  • I made these bars using 1/4 cup rum and 1/2 cup of orange juice instead of water. It was SO GOOD! So try it if you like and feel a bit naughty.
  • For this date squares recipe, I like to use old-fashioned rolled oats rather than quick-cooking as I prefer their thicker texture and flavor.
  • Homemade Date Squares will keep for up to a week if wrapped tightly or stored in an airtight container in the fridge.