Date and Nut Bars or Chinese Chews
Vintage recipe for chewy date bars with walnuts.
Servings 24 bars
Cost 5
Ingredients
- Coconut oil or salted butter for greasing the pan
- ¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour or unsifted pastry or cake flour (90 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts or a mix), feel free to use more (90 grams)
- 1 cup chopped dates, I used Medjool but any kind is fine (You can use more or less as desired)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a quarter sheet pan (9x12 or 9x13) with parchment paper and generously grease the parchment paper with coconut oil or butter.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. When evenly blended, add the dates and nuts and stir to mix.
- With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until pale. Add vanilla to eggs and pour egg mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir with a heavy duty scraper to blend.
- Spread the mixture in the pan (it will be a very thin layer) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until very brown. Let cool completely.
- Lift from pan and cut into rectangles or squares. Sift powdered sugar over for garnish if desired.