Date Bars

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pitted whole dates (packaged chopped dates are rolled in sugar, not preferred for this recipe)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups A/P flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature

1. Line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray or butter it.
2. Preheat oven to 350u0b0 F.
3. Put water and dates in a small saucepan and simmer until very soft and thick,stirring often. Cool. Stir in vanilla.
4. In a large mixing bowl put the flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir to blend. Add butter. Using fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut in until moist clumps form. Press half of the mixture over bottom of the pan. Spread the date mixture over. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the dates. Press down on the crumb mixture gently.
5. Place in the oven and bake unil brown at the edges and golden brown and set in the center, about 25 minutes or longer. Don't over-bake. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift out of the pan using the foil edges. Place on a cutting board, peel down the foil from the edges, and cut crosswise into bars.

water, dates, vanilla, flour, brown sugar, oldfashioned oats, ground cinnamon, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/date-bars-50032136 (may not work)