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Date Bars

Date Bars are an old fashioned chewy cookie bar filled with chopped dates and nuts. An easy and delicious treat to bake for any day of the week. 

I’ve always been a huge fan of date bars and when I found a recipe my mom had clipped from an old magazine, I had to give them a try. The original recipe was for chewy date cookies but I knew they would be even better as bars. 

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Dates are sticky and sweet giving these bars a great chewy texture and they are rich enough to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

Plate of date and nut bars with powdered sugar

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Date Bars with nuts stacked on a plate with text overlay

 

 

Ingredients for Date Bars:

Ingredients for Date Bars - flour, sugar, nuts, shortening, butter, dates, baking soda, salt, eggs

  • Brown Sugar
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Butter & Shortening
  • Eggs
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking Soda & Salt
  • Dates & Nuts

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How to Make Date Bars:

Making date bars with nuts - collage mixing the dough

  • Cream butter, shortening, sugar and eggs together with an electric mixer. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. 
  • Mix in chopped dates and nuts. 
  • Spray a  jelly roll pan  ( 10 x 15 x 1 inch) with nonstick cooking spray.

Chewy Date Bar dough spread in a pan

  • Spread dough evenly into pan. 

Baked sheet pan of date bars with nuts

  • Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Powdered sugar dusted sheet pan of date bars

  • Cool for 10 minutes and dust with powdered sugar. 
  • Slice into bars and serve warm or at room temperature. 
  • Store leftover bars in an airtight container up to 5 days. 

Recipe Variations:

I use a combination of chopped pecans and walnuts. Use what ever you have on hand or skip the nuts if you prefer. 

Mix in white or milk chocolate chips in place of the nuts. 

Add in 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a warm fall dessert.

Scoop into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10- 12 minutes. 

Easy Dessert bars with dates and nuts - stack of 3 on a plate

Easy Dessert Bars

Dessert bars are a favorite for busy days at our house. I love to just pop them in the oven and go on with my to-do list while they bake, instead of scooping individual cookies. If you are looking for something different, these old fashioned date bars are sure to please.

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Yield: 15 servings

Date Bars

Date Bars with nuts - 3 bars stacked on a plate

Date Bars are an old fashioned chewy cookie bar filled with chopped dates and nuts. An easy and delicious treat to bake for any day of the week. 

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon soda
  • 8 oz (1 1/2 cups) cut up dates
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped nuts ( I used walnuts and pecans)
  • non stick cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. In a mixer bowl, cream brown sugar, sugar, butter, shortening and eggs together.
  3. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.
  4. Mix in dates and nuts and combine.
  5. Spray a jelly roll (10 x 15 x 1 inch) pan with non stick cooking spray.
  6. Press dough evenly into pan.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
  9. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars.
  10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Store cooled bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 234mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 29gProtein: 5g

Nutritional calculations are estimated and may not be accurate.

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4 Comments

  1. I am so glad you posted this recipe. If not the same, it’s very close to the recipe my late Aunt used. The treats are SO GOOD. I tried to make some many many years ago and messed up on the flour amount. I gotta make some of these. Folks, if you have never eaten these goodies, your missing out. Thanx sweetie.
    77563

    1. Good to hear from you Ed! I hope these bars turn out like you remember them. Date bars have always been my favorite. We used to get a really thin date bar from the local bakery when I was a kid. I have not quite figure out that recipe but these are pretty good.
      ~ Miliisa

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