Date Squares

I leave for Europe today. I will be gone for 6 weeks, hopefully Couchsurfing for most of it (to anyone who happens across this blog and lives in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Nice or Marseille...if you see me walking down the street, I'll exchange baked goods for a couch).

Not much of a story for this recipe. James cames to see me one last time before I took off and I asked what he would like me to make him for his visit....date squares.

I wish I could think of something more creative to say than "these date squares are delicious"...but they are. The crumble is lemony and sweet, and the date filling doesn't need additional sweetening. For this recipe, I basically just adapted the filling from my cinnamon buns and the crumble from my apple crumble...so lazy. Despite minimal creative effort, they were a hit, even with my Dad.

The almonds must be very finely ground—they act as a binder, and if they're too crumbly, your crumble won't stick together. Also, wait for it to cool before you cut into them.  I like to store them in the fridge for a day, and allow the date filling to soak into the crumble and soften it.

Dates Squares
(makes 9 squares)

For Filling:

Ingredients:

• 265 grams Medjool dates
• date water, divided
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 4 grams (1/2 tsp) fin sea salt
• 6 grams (1 tsp) vanilla

Instructions:

1. Soak dates until soft. Drain and reserve water.

2. In a food processor, combine dates with salt and vanilla. Process until smooth as you can get it, adding date water if necessary. Scoop into a bowl.

3. Combine arrowroot with 1/4 cup of date water. Pour into date paste and stir until it thickens. Refrigerate until needed.

The Crumble:

Ingredients:

• 250 grams finely chopped almonds 
• 180 grams oats 
• 5 grams sea salt 
• 70 grams coconut oil, softened 
• 150 grams maple syrup 
• Vanilla 
•  Zest of one lemon 
• Chopped pecans (for top only) 
• 30 grams coconut butter, softened (for bottom only) 
• 10 grams (2 Tbs) unsweetened, shredded coconut (for bottom only) 

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.
2. In another bowl, mix almonds, oats, lemon zest and salt.
3. Add dry to wet and mix until oats are well coated.
4. Divide crumble in half and set one aside. In crumble reserved for bottom, add softened coconut butter and shredded coconut. Mix well.
5. In a 9 by 9 dish, lined with parchment paper, evenly press crumble into the bottom. Scoop and spread filling gently across crumble.
6. Mix a handful of chopped pecans into the remaning crumble, and sprinkle on top of filling. Press gently.
7. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden.
8. Allow to cool before cutting. Store in fridge.