Orange Date Crumble Bars Recipes

ORANGE DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, then grease a 15"x10" baking pan.
• In a saucepan, combine dates, brown sugar, water & butter, then bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer 5 minutes or until dates are softened, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat & stir in chocolate chips.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk & orange juice.
• In another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda & salt, then ALTERNATELY add this dry mixture AND the orange juice mixture to the date mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in the walnuts, then pour into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven & let cool on a wire rack.
• For the glaze, in a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter & orange zest, then stir in milk a little at a time until glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over the cooled base before cutting.into bars.

DATE CRUMBLE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, then grease & line (with parchment) a 7"x11" cake pan.
• Combine the dates & orange juice in a saucepan & bring to a boil before turning the heat down to low ~ Cover the saucepan & simmer gently for 5 minutes to soften the dates.
• Remove from the heat & mash the date mixture until smooth, then set aside to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter & sugar, then stir in the oats & flour to form a crumbly mixture.
• Press half of this mixture into the base of the prepared pan to form a smooth base, then use a fork to prick the base all over.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Spread the date paste over the cooked base & sprinkle the remaining crumbly mixture over that as a topping.
• Return to the oven & bake for another 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Remove from the oven, cut into 12 bars & allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• Great served either warm or cold.

FROSTED ORANGE DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, 1/2 cup butter, water and dates. Cook, stirring frequently until dates have softened and the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the date mixture, then mix in the 1/4 cup orange juice, milk, eggs and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To make the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, cream cheese and orange zest. Beat until smooth. Gradually mix in the remaining orange juice a tablespoon at a time until the icing is spreadable. Spread over the bars when cool. Cut into squares.

CHEWY ORANGE-DATE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, oats, butter, orange peel and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until batter is thick. Stir in dates and walnuts. Spread in pan.
• Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows. Store covered.