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This simple recipe is my take on the old classic – Deliciously Easy Canadian Date Squares with an Orange Twist!

The History of the Date Square

The Date Square is a Canadian creation, most often appearing in coffee shops or family kitchens in bar form as a sweet and nutritious snack. It is more commonly called a Matrimonial Cake in the Western Canadian Provinces, and is also known as a date crumble on the east coast. The Date Square is thought to have been made popular during the Great Depression as ingredients like eggs and sugar became scarce, and less expensive ingredients like oats and dates were more widely available.

This has been a long time favourite in my home growing up because they are my dads absolute favourite dessert, so you know they’ve been made (and devoured) many times in my kitchen! This Deliciously Easy Canadian Date Squares recipe is my playful spin on the classic!

Why I Think You’ll Love These Deliciously Easy Canadian Date Squares

• Simple ingredients and easy to make
  
  
• Naturally sweetened and high in fibre
  
  
• No fancy equipment needed
  
  
• Perfect for a snack or sweet dessert

Ingredient List

Old Fashion Oats: 2 cups of good quality old fashion, or rolled oats, will give your bars the perfect, crumbly texture. Try to stay away from the “quick oat” option as it could lead to your crumble being a little too soggy, however I’ve used the Quaker Oats Quick Oats many times and they seem to be fine.

Pitted Dates: 400 grams (or 2 1/2 cups). If you’re in America, I would recommend using pitted Medjool dates. I primarily use pitted honey dates, which are more widely available in my location. They are smaller, darker, and chewier.

All Purpose Flour: 1 cup of all purpose flour adds some structure to the base and crumble.

Brown Sugar: 3/4 cup of brown sugar not only sweetens your dates, the molasses will help add more chewiness to your oat crumble.

Butter: 3/4 cups of softened butter to coat the oats and bind everything together. It’s easier to cube your butter to speed up the process.

Allspice: 1/4 teaspoon of allspice will add a complexity to the squares. Allspice contains cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves which will help balance the natural sweetness of the dates.

Salt: 1/4 teaspoon of salt is all you need. If you’re using salted butter you can skip this ingredient.

Baking Soda: 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to help the oats brown and cook evenly.

Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract will help balance the flavours.

Orange Juice: 2 tablespoons of orange juice to add acidity and flavour.

Orange Zest: 1 tablespoon of orange zest helps the orange flavours burst through and adds a nice boost of fresh, citrus flavour that pairs nicely with the caramel like flavour of the dates.

How To Make My Deliciously Easy Canadian Date Squares

Make the filling: The filling is pretty simple to make. Just add your dates to a medium sauce pan, add the water and orange juice, and simmer over medium heat. The dates will start to break down pretty quickly, but you’ll want to keep stirring until you’re left with a paste, and most of the liquid is gone. This takes about 10 minutes. Once you’re happy with the thickness, remove it from heat, and add the vanilla extra, and stir in the orange zest. Let the filling cool to room temperature. You can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process.

Preheat your oven: Now is the perfect time to preheat your oven to 350℉ and set your oven rack to the middle position.

Make the crumble: In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and allspice. Don’t worry about any brown sugar clumps. I find this next step easier with your hands, however, you’re welcome to use a wooden spoon or spatula. Add your cubed, room temperature butter, and begin to combine with the dry mixture. Break up the butter until you’re left with an even, but crumbly texture.

Prepare your 9×9 inch pan: Cut a large piece of parchment paper to fit the base of your pan. Leave a few extra inches on ether side to use later to help you remove your date squares from the pan. You can lightly spray your parchment paper and the sides of your pan with a non-stick spray, but it’s not necessary.

Create your base: Pour about two thirds of your oat crumble mixture into your prepared pan. Using a fork, spread the mixture out evenly along your pan, then press it down firmly to create a crust. Make sure to get the edges and corners of the pan as well.

Add the filling: Once your filling is room temperature, use a spatula to scoop your filling onto your base, then evenly spread it to cover your base. Don’t be too concerned if you get a few oats mixed into the filling. You’ll probably never notice once you cut into them.

Top with your crumble: Once you’ve gotten an even coat of filling, evenly sprinkle the remaining one third of your oat crumble mixture into your pan. Gently press it into your filling to make sure it sticks.

Bake: Bake your Date Squares for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden. I very rarely pass the 25 minute mark, so keep a close eye as not to burn the bottom.

Cool and Serve: Let your Deliciously Easy Canadian Date Squares cool to room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator to cool for another hour before cutting into 16 equal squares.

Serving Tips and Storage

1. Store your deliciously easy Canadian date squares in an air tight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
   
   
2. These can be frozen in a ziplock bag for up to a month to extend their shelf life. They thaw pretty quickly if you need a quick snack and are already portioned out!
   
   
3. Serve room temperature with coffee or tea for a morning pick me up, or serve warm with some vanilla ice cream for a buttery dessert!

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