Vegan date bars

My relationship with dates is a new one. We just met last summer, and I was a little hesitant of them. The ones I had been given were from a local farm here in Arizona, and they were sooooo sweet—like biting into a piece of caramel. They were good, but it made my teeth hurt (you know the feeling when you bite something sweet or sour and your sweet tooth does a little ache? That's what it was).

So I gave them a break for a while. I was thinking about what I could do with dates. They are extremely healthy for you, and they are sweet enough to be a dessert, so of course I was thinking about all the ways you could incorporate dates into a dessert. A lot of Paelo and Raw recipes use dates as a binding factor for things like crackers or pie crusts... I didn't want the date to be something that holds another something together. I wanted the date to be on display. The highlight of the dessert I was making.

Eventually something came to me. I am a sucker for dessert bars. There is something so delicate but not formal about them. I make a lot of fresh peach or nectarine bars when the fruit comes back into season because I like the way the crust and fruit just go together. And that’s when it hit me… I will make date bars!

The way the water and dates work together to make a caramel-like sauce is amazing. I like that the dates don’t actually disappear, that there are obvious chunks of them in the bar, but that they are smoother and silkier being boiled down. Add a touch of vanilla, and they really are like caramel.

They are extremely easy to make, but do take a while since you have to wait for the date mixture to cool down before putting it on top of the crumb mixture. I tend to stick mine in the freezer to hurry up the process.

Vegan Date Bars
16 bars

2 c. pitted Medjool dates, chopped
1.5 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. gluten-free old fashioned oats
3/4 c. coconut flour
3/4 c. brown rice flour
3/4 c. (1 and 1/2 stick) Earth Balance butter, room temperature and cubed
1 c. shredded coconut (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In saucepan, combine dates and water, bringing to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally for 10-20 minutes, or until dates are soft and mixture is thick. Add the vanilla, stir, and let cool to room temperature (to expedite the process, you can place in the freezer for about an hour).
While dates are cooling, in a large bowl, add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well before adding the butter. With hands, or a pastry blender, mix in the butter until it forms into a dough.

Oil a 9x9 square bake ware and press half the dough mixture firmly in the bottom (If you like more crust, and less topping, add a little more to the bottom). Spread date mixture over the bottom of crumb mixture, and place the remaining crumb mixture on top of the date mixture. I like to pack it down and make sure everything is firm.

Bake in over for 40-45 minutes, or until the top starts turning brown. These are delicious fresh out of the oven or with your coffee/tea the next morning. I took these to my book club meeting this past week, and they were a hit!

Keep covered for a week.