Ingredients
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1 cup packed (7 ounces) Brown Sugar
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¾ cup (3¾ ounces) all-purpose Flour
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½ teaspoon Baking Powder
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½ teaspoon Salt
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9 ounces pitted Medjool Dates
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1 cup Pecans
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2 large Egg
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2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
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½ cup (2 ounces) confectioners’ Sugar
Directions
Date-nut bread is a quick bread classic and a great accompaniment to a cup of warm tea. We wanted to bring its hallmarks deep brown sugar flavor, chewy caramel-y dates, and buttery pecans together in a convenient bar cookie that would be sweet and moist and chewy throughout. And happily we discovered that assembling these bars couldn’t be easier: Simply whisk all of the dry ingredients together before mixing in the chopped dates (a generous 1½ cups for plenty of chewy date pockets), pecans, and wet ingredients. To put these bars squarely in the cookie category, we gave them an extra layer of sweetness by rolling them in confectioners’ sugar; rolling them while they were still warm helped the sugar stick. The dough may look dry at first, but it will come together as it’s mixed.
Steps
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1
Done
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8-inch square baking pan. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Stir in dates, pecans, eggs, and butter until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread into even layer. |
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2
Done
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Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let bars cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spread confectioners’ sugar in shallow dish. |
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3
Done
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Remove bars from pan and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces and roll in confectioners’ sugar. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour, before serving. |
