In my book, butter is right up there with chocolate on the list of ingredients I love most. So I was dubious about these No Butter or Shortening Date Nut Bars to say the least. But for a dessert that contains neither butter nor chocolate, they are pretty darn good.
I’ll admit that I did not dream up these bars. They are from my friends Linda and Ken. As we chatted at a recent gathering, Ken and I both spied a fruit platter that included some luscious looking dried dates. He mentioned that his mom made fabulous date bars. I asked about the recipe, Ken didn’t know where it was or how to find it. He only knew that his mom insisted one had to mix the batter with bare hands.
Not so easily deterred, I asked his wife, Linda, about the recipe. She laughed when she heard that Ken didn’t know what had become of it. She has a date nut bar recipe from his mom, as well as several from other women of that generation.
Being incredibly organized, Linda immediately scanned the recipe from Ken’s mom and two others. Although she sent them by email, the three old fashioned recipe cards still felt like they were calling to me from another era. They reminded me of Mad Men and my retro date nut bread. I’ll have to ask Ken what color his mom’s kitchen was. I’m betting it was avocado green with harvest gold highlights.
Meanwhile, I had uncovered a trove of date bar recipes online that seemed to include every possible variation on that theme. But I was wrong. Ken’s mom had an altogether different take. Her recipe does not call for any butter or shortening and it uses separated eggs. Also, it does not contain oats and barely uses any flour. It is truly unique.
As with many old fashioned recipes, her directions were sparse. In fact, reading them, I could not imagine what the finished bars would be like. That really piqued my curiosity. So I made them and thought they were delicious.
Oddly enough, when I checked back in with Linda, she told me that she has made these same bars for Ken and he swears they are not the ones he remembers. (Not sure how that can be, as they are straight from his mom’s recipe.) Oh well, I still loved them – and so did my family.
Just because I’m a stickler for happy endings, I will go back to the drawing board with some more details from Ken. If I do end up replicating what he remembers, I’ll certainly let you know. But in the meantime, rest assured that these are well worth trying.
When this month’s Progressive Eats host, Colleen, announced that the theme was tailgate treats, I decided these No Butter or Shortening Date Nut Bars would be my contribution to the meal. I rarely go to sporting events. When I do, it’s generally a Nationals baseball game and we eat inside the ball park. While I don’t know much about tailgating, it conjured up images of BBQ and guacamole. I figured a healthy treat to end the meal might be unusual, but welcome.
These treats are thin and a bit chewy in the middle, with a nice crunch on the edges. They only have six ingredients and if you use pre-chopped dates and walnuts, they take just a few minutes to mix together.
Even if you have to chop those ingredients, the whole process takes maybe 15 minutes total. My beloved felt a bit cheated when he realized that they were delicious, but chocolate-free. If you’re likely to get a similar reaction, you could add a few chocolate chips to the batter. Of course, if you do, the halo of “healthy dessert” dims just ever so slightly.
The recipe calls for a 9-inch square pan. If you don’t have that size, you can use an 8-inch one, adding a few minutes to the baking time. In that event, the bars will just be a bit thicker and chewier. Or, you can MacGyver/jury rig a 9 x 13-inch one, using a piece of foil folded like an accordion and placed at the 9-inch point on the longer side of the pan to create a barrier so the bars do not move over to the remaining 4 inches. I don’t take credit for this clever trick. It comes from Cathy Barrow, who explains it in her new book, Pie Squared. The end result will look like this.
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. Each recipe in our menu this month features a tailgating finger foods, and our host is Coleen who blogs at The Redhead Baker.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. The host choses a theme and members share recipes on that theme suitable for a delicious meal or party. You can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious tailgating dishes!
Tailgate Finger Food
Appetizers
- Cheese Straw Tomato Tartlets – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cherry Red Wine Baked Turkey Meatballs – The Heritage Cook
- Pork and Ginger Potstickers – Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Main Courses
- Nacho Momma’s Beef, Bean and Cheese Tortilla Dip – Creative Culinary
Side Dishes
- Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms – The Redhead Baker
Desserts
- No Butter or Shortening Date Nut Bars – Mother Would Know (you’re here!)
No Butter or Shortening Date Nut Bars
A simple, low-fat bar with just 6 ingredients. Perfect finger food.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped dates Approximately 5&1/2 oz. or 158 g
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts Approximately 4 oz or 117 g
- 1/2 cup sugar Approximately 3&1/2 oz or 102 g
- 3 tablespoons flour Approximately 7/8 oz or 25 g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs, separated
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. LIne an 8-inch square pan with foil, then butter or oil it and dust with flour.
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Mix the chopped dates, walnuts, sugar, flour and baking powder together.
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Lightly beat the egg yolks, add them, and mix again.
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Beat the egg whites just a bit (with a fork or whisk), until they begin to foam. Then add them to the rest of the ingredients, mix with your hands, and press the stiff dough into the pan. Even the mixture out, covering the entire bottom of the pan. If you have to, don't be hesitant to move chunks of the "dough" with your hands to achieve a uniform thickness.
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Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Cool the bars in the pan until you can easily move a butter knife around the sides.
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I found it easier to tip the entire pan over onto a cutting board, then peel back the foil before cutting it into squares. You can do that or cut it in the pan and remove them one square at a time.
Recipe Notes
After the bars have cooled, use a large knife or a sharp cleaver to cut them into squares.
Karen says
These look delicious even if you didn’t replicate your friend’s mom’s bars. Maybe she left an ingredient out, ha ha!
Jane says
These look totally decadent and delicious, it is hard to believe they are healthy and so easy to make! Perfect choice for our Progressive Eats meal!
Beverly Davis says
Hi, these look delicious but I’m wondering if I missed something. You listed the ingredients but in Instruction #2 you list mixing the dates, walnuts, sugar, flour, and baking powder together yet in the list of ingredients you make no mention of flour. Is there flour in this recipe and if so, how much? I can’t wait to make these. Thanks for a reply.
Laura says
Beverly, The bad news is that I forgot to put the 3 tablespoons of flour in the ingredient list. But I’ve now corrected that and the recipe has all the ingredients listed. The good news (at least from my perspective) is that I had 3 readers tell me of the mistake within 24 hours of posting the recipe. It really warms the cockles of my heart to know that I have wonderful, real people reading and appreciating my blog and recipes. Many thanks for being one of those wonderful readers.
Yvonne Robinson says
Could you please tell me how much flour to use it is not in the recipe
Laura says
Yvonne, You’re eagle-eyed. I did forget to include the 3 tablespoons of flour in the ingredient list, but I’ve corrected that and it’s now there if you go back and check. In any event, I’m seeing the bright side of this from my point of view – I have wonderful readers, including you, who found the mistake and helped point it out to me. Many thanks.
Liz says
My mom loved baking with dates so these are right up my alley! They look amazing!
Laura says
Thanks – The recipe is definitely from that our moms’ era. Such a throwback, but a really good one.
Chef Mireille says
these look fantastic – I love dates in desserts – they provide so much natural sweetness
Laura says
Chef Mireille, Thanks for stopping by. I agree that desserts with dates are yummy. It’s truly amazing how naturally sweet they are.
Sue says
Made today! Love dates and walnuts and this one hit the spot! Did not come together like a bar for me, but the taste is reminiscent of “food for the gods” dessert without the loads of butter. Nom nom for sure. Next time I will lessen the sugar as the dates are sweet enough. Thank you for this recipe!
Laura says
Sue, Delighted that you enjoyed this treat. Not sure why it did not come together as a bar, but glad you enjoyed it nonetheless.
Cheryl Yetter says
Question, I’ve read the recipe through but don’t find any mention of how to treat the pan. The picture looks like it is buttered and floured before adding the mixture. But no mention in the text.
Laura says
Cheryl – You are so right! After reading your comment I added the instructions about how to treat the pan (line with foil, butter or oil, then dust with flour.) Many thanks for your eagle-eyed reading of the recipe.
Dorothy says
Am I the only one to find that the mixture only filled half an 8″ tin ?
also at half way across it only came up the side of the tin just over 1/4 inch.
I followed the recipe to a T
Otherwise very tasty thanks.
Laura says
Dorothy, Hmm – not sure what happened to you. In any event, glad you found them tasty.
Anny says
I was wonder what recipe would look like if I ony used dates. Should I then half the recipe or the same measurements
Laura says
Amy, If you don’t want to use nuts, I think you’ll have to increase the amount of flour or add something like seeds to replace the nuts. Otherwise I think the texture won’t work.
Janet says
Great recipe! Can you replace the dates with raisins?
Thanks,
Janet
Laura says
Janet, I have never tried that substitution, so I can’t give you a definitive answer. I think it would change the taste and texture quite a bit, as raisins are much less moist than dates. If you try it, I’d be interested to know what you think. Laura