The Best Date Squares

My mom says these are the best date squares she’s ever had, even better than hers – so that’s all the recommendation I need to give for these. The recipe is from Ricardo’s website, and it is also available en français.

Another name for these is matrimonial cake, or date crumbles. Apparently this is a true Canadian treat!

Using Medjool dates might be one of the factors in the greatness of this recipe, but I also love the buttery goodness of the crumble and crust.

These will keep well if wrapped and stored in the fridge for over a week, or in the freezer for several months. 

What you need for the date filling:

• 2 & 1/2 cups (625 ml) Medjool dates, lightly packed, pitted and chopped 
• 1 cup (250ml) water
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) baking soda

What you need for the crumble and crust:

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) salted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (250 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 & 3/4 cups (430 ml) quick-cooking rolled oats
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) baking powder

What you do:

1. Bring the chopped dates, water, lemon juice and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Add the baking soda and allow to simmer while stirring for about 5 minutes. The dates should have fallen apart. Mine didn’t really fall apart enough, so I gave them a whizz with my immersion blender. Allow this mixture to cool.
2. Prepare a square baking pan (20 cm/8 inch) by lining it with a strip of parchment paper; allow the edges to hang over two sides. Butter the exposed sides of the pan. (When I make this again I will also butter the parchment paper to make it easier to remove.)
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), positioning the rack in the middle.
4. In a large bowl cream the butter using a wooden spoon, then add the oats, flour, brown sugar and baking powder. Stir to combine. You might need to get in there with your hands to make this a little bit easier.
5. Spread half of the oats mixture into the pan, then add the date mixture. Sprinkle on the rest of the crumble and press it down a little.
6. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until golden brown. Let it cool on a wire rack – this will take a number of hours.
7. When cooled, gently pull up on the parchment paper strips to remove the date squares from the pan.
8. Enjoy!