Date and Fig Bars with Oatmeal Crust

After making goat cheese stuffed dates with my friend, I remembered a bag of dates in my cupboard that I needed to use up, and went looking for a recipe that sounded good. I landed on this Date Squares with Oat Crust recipe from The Spruce. I knew I didn't have enough dates for it, though, so I decided to cut the recipe in half and also use a package of dried golden figs that were in the cupboard to make up the difference. I baked it in an 8x8 square pan, which is slightly more than half the volume of a 13x9 pan, and reduced the cooking time by about 5 minutes. Other substitutions I made: salted butter and dark brown sugar (because it was what I had). I cooked the filling a bit longer than it asked for because my dates were VERY dried out. My bottle of vanilla ran out with this recipe so I fished out the vanilla bean from inside the bottle and cooked it with the dates and figs, then removed it before putting the filling in the pan.

The amount of crust was just barely enough to hold the bars together, but that was OK. it was nice and crumbly and buttery, and just sweet enough. I was a little worried when I read it was a Southern recipe because they seem to like their sweets *REALLY* sweet but this was perfect. I ended up eating them for breakfast...

Overall, I really liked these for a clean-out-the-cupboard experiment, and would consider making them on purpose in the future!

Update 4/15/19: I made these last week with only dates, and while they were really good, I think I like them a little better with figs mixed in. The contrast between the sweet filling and lightly salted oat crumbles is what really makes these special.

Update 3/14/23: I recently made these with only figs and still think a mix of dates and figs is ideal. I also converted the measurements into grams for ease of getting things together.

RECIPE: Date Squares with Oat Crust

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Crust:
3/4 cup (6 oz, 170 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (190 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 3/4 cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups (140 g) quick-cooking oats, uncooked

Filling:
1 1/2 pounds (680 g) dates, chopped
1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Hazelnut Pesto

When I first met my friend Andrea, she worked for a restaurant that made this as an appetizer. She told us about it, and how she liked them so much she would get the chef (her friend) to make them for her sometimes to eat whenever she could sneak back to the kitchen. This got me interested, and my husband and I went to the restaurant to have some for ourselves. This is the food that made me decide I like dates.

The restaurant is no longer open, but the chef gave her the recipe so that she could make them for herself if she felt like putting in the work. She loves food but not cooking...so she came to me to ask me if I'd help. Since I love them too, it didn't take much convincing. We made them for a tea party at my house a while back, but this time I helped her make them to bring to a murder mystery party because I had the proper equipment and it's always nice to not have to cook alone :)

The recipe as written when Andrea got it was for a much larger amount, and the amounts of the components as written weren't proportional to one another (for example, we ended up with LOTS of extra pesto the first time) but after making it twice I think I have it adjusted to a home setting reasonably well.

Notes:

• It is important to use medjool dates. They are larger and softer than dried dates. Making this was the first time I had a reason to shop for them. I found them pitted and packaged in the produce section of the grocery store, in the bulk section of a grocery store that sold bulk items by weight (also pitted), and sold by weight in the produce section of an Asian market (still contained pits). The Asian market was by far the cheapest option. We determined that there are about 32 dates in 1 pound.
• Since this recipe is from a restaurant, the weights are of fully prepared/peeled ingredients. When buying ingredients, you may want to get slightly larger amounts of things that have skins or things that need to be removed before use (like garlic and shallots).
• MAKE AHEAD TIPS: If making ahead, stuff but do not bake the dates or put the pesto on them, and keep in the refrigerator wrapped in saran wrap or in an airtight container in a single layer. Keep pesto separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator with plastic wrap over the surface to prevent browning. (I think these could be kept for up to 2 days before baking and serving.)
• Stuffing and pesto can also be frozen.

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RECIPE:

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Hazelnut Pesto
from 43 North in Madison, WI
Makes 32; serves about 6-8

Dates
32 medjool dates (about 1 lb)

Goat Cheese Filling
11g (about 2 ½ tsp) garlic, minced
25g (about 1 ½ tbsp) shallot, minced
3g (about ½ tsp) fresh thyme, stems removed, chopped
25g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
225g (8 oz, 1/2 lb) chevre/goat cheese
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Spinach Hazelnut Pesto (yields about 1 cup)
75g (2.6 oz, a little over 1/8 lb) hazelnuts, toasted
7g (about ½ tbsp) fresh garlic, chopped
57g (2 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 g (1/4 tsp) salt
113g (about 4 fl oz/ ½ cup) olive oil

Slice dates open lengthwise (do not cut in half) and gently squeeze out the pits if they still contain pits. Set aside.

To prepare goat cheese filling: Gently cook garlic, shallot, thyme, and butter together on medium-low heat until shallots are soft and translucent. Transfer to a stand mixer. Add goat cheese and pepper and whip in a stand mixer using paddle attachment until blended and fluffy.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon about ½ tablespoon of filling into each date (or more to fill; swipe off excess with your finger) and squeeze (mostly) closed. Place stuffed dates on a baking sheet lined with foil and put in oven. Bake until dates are heated through and have softened slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare hazelnut pesto.

To prepare hazelnut pesto: Place half of the toasted hazelnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor and process until finely ground and sandy looking. Add spinach and oil and process until smooth. Add remaining hazelnuts and pulse until nuts are chopped but still slightly chunky (about 10-12 pulses).

Spoon pesto over warm dates. Serve immediately.