This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Jump to Section
My Date Bars are So Good!
I’ve been on a bit of a date kick lately (okay, always – I love dates!), and these date bars are the latest in my kitchen experiments. You know how sometimes you just want a snack that feels nostalgic, like something your mom or grandma would make when you were a kid? That’s exactly what these date bars are for me. They remind me of the treats I grew up with—simple, homemade, and full of rich, comforting flavors.
These date bars are not too sweet and hold together well, so you can toss them in a bag and take them with you without them falling apart. They are just the right amount of sweetness and the perfect oat crust texture and I think you’re going to fall in love with them. I love this recipe so much that it was one of the three desserts I decided to include in my cookbook, as is with no changes. And hey, if you love the pecan-date combo, you should make my date cookies next!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dates: You can use any type of dates here or even date paste. I like to use Medjool dates, pitted and chopped.
- Lemon juice: Just a tablespoon of it for cooking the dates help to balance the sweetness. You can swap it for lime juice or even apple cider vinegar.
- Pecans: This is also part of the date mixture. Pecans pair so perfectly with dates, but I’ve also made this recipe with walnuts and cashews, which work just as well!
- All-purpose flour: I’ve only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour at this time. I don’t recommend using gluten-free flour like almond flour or coconut flour because they will change the texture and results. You can however test it with a gluten-free flour mix that is made for 1:1 substitute baking.
- Rolled oats: I mix this with the flour to make the oat crust. It gives it more texture and more of a bite. You can also use quick oats, but don’t use steel cut oats.
- Sugar: I use dark brown sugar for this crust layer because it’s sweeter and richer, but you can also use light brown sugar.
- Butter: Use unsalted since you’ll be adding salt already to the recipe or swap with coconut oil. The butter will hold better though and I think the taste goes better with the dates and pecans to make the bars.
- Baking soda, cinnamon & salt: For flavor and texture. Try ginger or cardamom instead of cinnamon if you’d like!
How to Make Date Bars
Make the date filling, mix together the crust, and assemble before baking. It’s quick, easy and just a few steps for a deliciously date treat.
Make the Date Filling
Make the Crust
and whisk them together. Add some melted butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter with the dry ingredients. You want everything to become moist and clumps to form.
Assemble and Bake
My Best Date Bars Tips
- Make sure to use a larger piece of parchment paper than the baking pan. This will allow some of the paper to hang on the sides, making it easier to lift the date bars out of the pan and slice them neatly. And you won’t even get the pan dirty!
- Customize the date mixture with other add-ins you’d like. I love the combination of pecans with dates, but it works great with any other type of nuts, shredded coconuts, seeds or even chocolate chips. Just make sure to finely chop whatever you add in there.
- Be sure to press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan pretty firmly. This will help to make sure that the date bars stick together and don’t fall apart when you cut into them. When you add the second layer on top, you can use less pressure.
- Don’t skip the cooling part. I would recommend at least one hour, but they set even more beautifully if you wait until the next day.
Recipe Help & FAQs
Once the bars have cooled and you cut them, store them in a fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days. You don’t need to add any parchment paper in between as they won’t stick together. The bars also freeze really well, for up to 3 months, and you can thaw them at room temperature before serving.
The bars freeze really well for up to 3 months. Just wrap them individually or store them in freezer-safe bags and pull one out of the freezer when you’re craving it. Just thaw it at room temperature before serving.
You can use medjool or deglet noor dates for this recipe. I like to buy ones that are already pitted as this cuts down on the prep time quite considerably; it’s especially great when you have little kids who snack on dates! Dates add a natural sweetness to each bite and are a good source of fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients.
There will be some crumble for sure, bit the date bars should stick really well together. Make sure that you pressed the crumb bottom layer really firmly into the baking dish and pack the other two layers tightly in. This will really help them hold well.
More Bars Recipes:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (No Bake)
- Breakfast Oatmeal Bars
- Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
- Vegan Lemon Bars
- No Bake Samoa Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Bars
- Vegan Protein Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
If you try this Date Bars recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Date Bars
Video
Ingredients
Filling
- 1½ cups chopped pitted Medjool dates
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
Base
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 × 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of extra parchment over both sides.
- In a small saucepan, bring 1¼ cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the dates and boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the dates have melted and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat; stir in the lemon juice and pecans. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Pour the melted butter on top. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you have a pebbly texture with moist pea-size clumps.
- Press half of the flour mixture evenly and firmly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread the date mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture over the date mixture; press gently to help the crumbs adhere.
- Bake until the top and edges are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into 16 bars and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
These bars have become a staple in my house. They are so delicious! I make them once a week, but I do a little different version of yours. I used oat flour first but yesterday I made them with semolina instead. I use very little coconut sugar (dates are sweet enough) and instead of butter I put coconut oil. Sometimes before I layer the top crust I sprinkle some unsweetened coconut flakes. Such a healthy guilt free snack or breakfast!
Yay, I’m so happy you enjoy them!! And I love the tweaks you’ve made. Thank you so much for sharing, Joyce!
Do you think dried figs would work instead of dates?
I think dried figs would not hold the bars together as well as sticky dates.
I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking for a good date bet recipe. These are delicious! These will be making a regular appearance in our house.
Yay! So happy to hear you liked them Jim!
I’m thinking of adding some mini, dark chocolate chips. How do you recommend I incorporate them? And do I need to adjust the recipe ingredients? Thank you! I can’t wait to try these and your other recipes. I just signed up on your site.
Best,
Heidi
Love that idea! You could add it to the filling mixture, and you shouldn’t need to adjust the other recipe ingredients.