Sticky Chewy Rye & Date Bars

My to-bake wish list swells and shrinks depending on the seasons. The frenzy leading up to Christmas always leaves me with regret of not baking all the tempting recipes I bookmark. After the holidays, a virtuous healthy eating attitude typically takes hold and baking has no space in my definition of wholesome eating. When the weather warms up, so does the myriad colour in the market. All that fruit and vegetable signal the beginning of canning season and the heat of oven seems a bit harsh for their natural beauty. Harvest in autumn is really the only time I get to indulge in my to-bake wish list. In season ingredients are plentiful but the cooler temperature also suits such warmer flavour as chocolate, caramel, and spices.

One item that never leaves my to-bake wish list despite the change of season is date square. This homely bar cookie did not catch my attention for years with its lack of visual appeal and the starring role of dates. That all changed in 2006 when I visited the now-defunct Vienna Home Bakery in the West Queen West neighbourhood of Toronto. Around that time, the neighbourhood became more hipster by the day and stalwart businesses such as Vienna were closing shop by choice or not. I was lucky to visit the bakery with its long counter, stools, humble display cases, and intimate atmosphere created by long-time employees. I ordered a piece of their famous date square upon recommendation of the owner and was immediately won over. The date square was like a portable fruit crumble except the saucy apple pieces were replaced by an layer of more intense date puree scented with orange. The texture of a pleasantly chewy bottom crust contrasted well with the crunchy crumbly topping and silky fruit filling. I was hooked.

Unfortunately, Vienna Home Bakery is no more and I can only relive my date square experience through memory. I can certainly bake up a batch at home but most recipes I come across seem more perfunctory than blue ribbon-worthy. I can only assume date square cannot capture the imagination the way chocolate chip cookies or brownies can. This is how it came to take up a permanent spot on my to-bake wish list.

When I set out to create my own date square recipe, I was not trying to recreate the perfection in my memory. Rather, I take inspiration from its orange-scented date filling and pair it with my current infatuation of whole grain baking. The result is my Sticky Chewy Rye & Date Bar with a hearty crust of rolled rye flakes and whole wheat flour with the sweet taste of cinnamon. This bar cookie is a bit more moist than I intended so it is a bit on the delicate side. True to the ease we often associate with making bar cookies, I streamlined the process so the same dough is used for both the chewy bottom crust and crispy crumb topping. I used honey-sweet plump Medjool dates for my recipe and I highly recommend you to do the same. Next time, I may experiment with reducing the liquid in the date filling and likely using some strongly brewed tea rather than water.

Sticky Chewy Rye & Date Bars

makes 16 squares

Ingredients

rye crust & crumble topping

• 125g | 1 1/4 cup rolled rye flakes
• 250g | 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 65g | 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 65g | 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 140g | 10 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 25g | 1/4 cup sliced almond

date filling

• 300g | 2 cups pitted dates, roughly chopped (about 16 Medjool dates)
• 65g | 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 375g | 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cinnamon stick

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9” square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. To make the rye crust, mix together rye flakes, brown sugar, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Rub gently with tips of your finger to make sure there’s no more lumps of sugar. Pour in melted butter and blend with spatula or wooden spoon until moistened. The mixture should be quite crumbly.
3. Reserve 1 cup of crust mixture for topping. Tip the rest into prepared baking pan and press into even layer. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. If it puffs up, gently flatten with back of a spoon. Let cool completely or about 1 hour.
4. To make date filling, combine pitted dates, sugar, water, orange zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and turn down heat to simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until dates are softened then remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and remove cinnamon stick. Puree into date paste using immersion blender or food processor.
5. Preheat oven to 325F again. Pour date paste onto baked crust and smooth the top. Gently squeeze the crumble topping into little lumps and scatter evenly over the fruit layer. Sprinkle the sliced almond on top of the crumble too. Bake for 25-30 minutes until nuts are golden brown and the crumble feels set (it would still be a bit soft at this time but crisp up once completely cooled). Cool the bars in pan over wire rack, preferably overnight or at least a couple of hours.
6. Lift the bar out of the pan using parchment paper liner. Cut into 16 squares. Date bar can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.