I have sewn some things but it is raining like crazy outside and there is no pretty light to take pictures with so I thought I would share my grandma Marion's date bar recipe which was a big hit at our house last week. This picture were taken a few days ago when the skies were bright and lovely!
My mom used to make these and always told me they were from my dad's mother, Marion. I always loved them and when I made them the other day I was so pleased that my girls love them too. Cal is not really into sweets unless it's ice cream so he refused to even try. But he did have a great time making them with me before the girls got home from school.
My dad is older than my mom and grew up during the great depression and the forties. I like how this recipe reflects the simple basic ingredients a cook would have had in her pantry without having to go to the store for something special. The only thing you have to remember to get is the dates!
Marion's Delcious Date Bars
Turn on oven to 350 degrees.
Date Mixture:
1 package of chopped dates
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
~combine above in a small sauce pan over medium high heat and cook until soft stirring every minute or so. Total time should be about 5 to 7 minutes.
~in the meantime, combine together the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl
1 1/2 cups Quick Oats (but I have used regular also and it was fine)
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter softened
~mix with your fingers until crumbly. Spread 1/2 the mixture into a greased 8" x 12" (or 9" x 13") baking pan. Use your fingers to press the mixture down gently.
~spread the softened date mixture evenly over the dry mix. Then spread the remainder of the dry mix over the dates.
~Bake 35 minutes until golden brown.
~let cool for about 10 minutes, cut into squares and serve to your family!
Yummy! We had them for snack. dessert & breakfast the next morning! A simple and delicious treat without a bunch of junk ingredients to feel guilty about. Do you have a favorite old recipe that you still make for your family? I could love to hear about it! Hopefully I'll post some sewing pictures later in the week.
