Date Chews

 Despite the fact that farmer's market tables beckon with fresh local fruit, somehow a two-pound box of incredibly sweet and addicting Medjool dates found their way into my shopping cart at the grocery store.  To stop myself from eating the entire box, I decided to try one of the dozens of date recipes in my collection. So many of the recipes said to use "one package of dates" and, having no idea how much was in 1940s or 1950s package, I searched for a recipe with a more specific quantity. (Dates may be homely, especially compared to a glistening peach, but don't let their appearance deter you from trying them.)

These Date Chews are a delicious, almost cake-like, bar cookie.  And simple to make.

First, chop the nuts and pit the dates, the coat them in a bit of flour, which prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.  You can buy unpitted dates, but I prefer to pit them myself.

Mix the dry ingredients and set aside.  Beat the eggs and water and add in the dry ingredients.  Stir just until they are incorporated.  Overmixing produces a tough texture.

 
Add in the date nut mixture and stir. Pour into a prepared pan.  You can either grease and flour it, or line it with parchment paper. I prefer the latter, as it creates a sling by which you can easily lift the entire cake from the pan.  Not to mention, the pan doesn't need to be washed.

Cut into squares while still somewhat warm.  It's essential try the first piece.

Production notes: I used all-purpose unbleached flour and did not sift it.  Or resift it.  I'm a lazy cook, but don't tell anyone.

Date Fills

I've had a love affair with dates ever since my fourth grade teacher brought some to our Fairlawn Elementary School* classroom, covered each with a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar (as if dates need more sweetening!) and invited us all to try one.  Never had I tasted anything so exotic and delicious.  It made all my trips to the local penny candy story for Lemonheads and Smartees seem so, well, juvenile and one-dimensional. I begged my mother to buy a box and I've been enjoying all varieties of dates (medjoul are my favorites) ever since.  Sometimes I buy too many -- hence another date recipe, this one a "date newtons" or date sandwich cookie.

This recipe is from an Amish collection I purchased recently on eBay, a collection filled with the most wonderful confections.  Here, they are called date fills, but they often go by the name date sticks.  It seems that almost every recipe box or notebook I have, most from 1910 to about 1960, have at least one version of this cookie.

Date fills are not super simple to make, but so worth the effort.  I prefer to buy dates with their pits intact which adds another step, but you can buy pitted dates.  Make the filling first.  Pit and chop the dates, and cook them with water, sugar and lemon juice.  You will soon have the date paste for the filling.

The butter, sugar, flour and oats dough is easy to put together.  Roll it out between two sheets of parchment or wax paper.  Plastic wrap might work well too.

Place the rolled pastry on a baking sheet and spread the date filling on top, a step I sadly neglected to photograph.  This is best accomplished using an offset spatula, but the back of a spoon and a butter knife can be employed for this task, as well.

The slightly tricky part is placing the top crust layer on the date filling.  As you can see, mine looks rather rustic, but that's ok.

Bake it in the oven until it's browned.

When it's cooled, cut it into small squares.  The uneven ends -- quite delicious -- are well-deserved treats for the cook.

*Fairlawn Elementary was renamed the Judith A. Resnick Elementary School for its former astronaut alum who perished during the Challenger disaster in 1986.

Honey Nut Date Bread

I love life's roller coaster; I crave drama and surprises and unanticipated outcomes.  But even for us adrenaline junkies, once in a while it's nice to embrace the sure-to-deliver and guaranteed not-to-disappoint things in life.

And that's exactly what this Honey Nut Date Bread is -- a comforting, reliable confection that, while it won't knock your socks off, will make you very, very happy.

First, it's easy to make.  It involves no tricky techniques that could potentially torpedo the finished product.  If you can measure, chop and mix, you're good to go.  Second, it tastes better the next day, and even better the day after that.  Third, it's good any time: as delicious for breakfast as it is with your afternoon coffee.

I used a combination of fabulous medjool dates (above) and lowest common denominator dates from Costco, and I think the bread would have been just as good using all Costco dates.  If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own -- just mix one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with one cup of milk and let it stand for about five minutes.  Then proceed with the recipe.

Honey Nut Date Bread is really a cake, one with a mellow flavor from the honey and a finely textured crumb. Next time you're looking for a sure-thing baked good, I do hope you'll try this.  No disappointment guaranteed.