Last Updated on September 9, 2022 by Kathryn Donangelo
This Date Bar Recipe has a cinnamon oat crust and a delicious date filling. These bars are chewy, soft and make a sweet snack or breakfast!
PIN this Date Bar Recipe to try later!
This chewy Date Bars Recipe is packed with incredible flavors of sweetened dates and layered with a cinnamon oatmeal crust. If you love dates, you will love this classic recipe that can be enjoyed as a sweet snack, breakfast or even dessert! These will be sure to satisfy your sweet tooth any time of the day.
If these Date Bars have your attention, try these Raspberry Oatmeal Bars that are made fresh raspberries, a buttery oatmeal crust and topping.
The cinnamon oatmeal crust resembles a chewy cookie and when the date filling gets baked in between the oatmeal layers, they almost taste like a rich and creamy caramel filling. These bars are a fancier version of Fig Newton bars and you will be so much happier when you taste how good they are!
You can make these into a Chewy Date Nut Bars Recipe by simply adding a handful of your favorite chopped nuts to the oatmeal crust. Almonds, pecans or walnuts are all great options if you wanted a nutty boost.
INGREDIENTS: FOR DATE BAR FILLING
- Dates; pitted
- Water
INGREDIENTS: FOR DATE BAR CRUST
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter
- Oats
- Vanilla extract
- Water
HOW TO MAKE DATE BARS RECIPE
To prep the date filling:
To prep the crust:
THESE DATE BARS ARE
- Super easy to make and can be enjoyed as a breakfast, snack or dessert.
- Perfectly chewy, rich in flavor and packed with wholesome ingredients.
- Easy to make, vegan and can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free oats and flour.
- So satisfying when you are craving a delicious sweet treat!
This super easy Date Bar Recipe makes a fantastic treat to put into your kids’ lunchbox and they won’t even know these are made with dates.
LOOKING FOR OTHER DESSERT BAR RECIPES? TRY THESE!
- Carrot Cake Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Banana Bread Bars
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
LOOKING FOR OTHER HEALTHY BREAKFAST OR SNACK RECIPES? TRY THESE!
- Superfood Breakfast Bars
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
- Cranberry Almond Energy Bites
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bites
- Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
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Date Bar Recipe
Ingredients
Date bar filling
- 2 cups dates; pitted
- 1 1/2 cups water
For the oatmeal crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter; cut into cubes
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 Tbsp. water
Instructions
To prep the date filling
- Place the dates and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the water has thickened and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
To prep the oat crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt and baking soda until combined. Add the butter and continue to process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add in the oats and water and pulse until combined.
- Press half of the oat mixture onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a spatula or your hands. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Spread the date mixture over the partially baked crust and then sprinkle the remainder oat mixture over the dates. Lightly press down. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops of the crust is a light golden brown. Let cool completely and then slice into bars or squares. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes 12 large bars or 24 smaller bars.
My husband LOVES date squares. I know this would be a hit. I just might have to surprise him!!
I hope you do, Gloria!
Wow, I haven’t had one of these classics in a dog’s age. Around here, we call them matrimonial or funeral squares. They are an old school classic for a reason!
I hope you enjoy these date bars! 🙂
Fruit bars always bring back fond memories of growing up. Love how healthy these are..so tasty and delicious. Perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Fruit bars always bring back fond memories of growing up. Love how healthy these are..so tasty and delicious. Perfect for breakfast or dessert! 😀
🙂 Me too!
I love dates and these are the perfect snacks to make when I crave something sweet, I can’t wait to make these, thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome Ramona! I hope you love these!
I’ve never had date bars before. That needs to change! These look scrumptious and like they have the perfect texture.
🙂 Enjoy!
This looks like a fantastic quick + easy recipe for sweets cravings! I’m off to the pantry to see if we have dates. Yum!
I hope you love these date bars!
Just pinned and can’t wait to make this recipe! I’m trying your recommendation to use gluten-free flour and oats since I follow a gluten-free diet. Yum!!
Thank you, enjoy! These are just as delicious gluten-free 🙂
I love dates so this recipe was right up my street! The flavours went together perfectly and my friends were fighting over the last piece!
That’s awesome, glad these bars were a hit!
These date bars look perfect and like an easy grab and go snack for those busy days!
Yes they are perfect for busy days and make a great snack!
Fruit bars are one of my favorite homemade treats. I haven’t tried them with just dates before, but it is delicious!
They are so good with dates, I hope you get a chance to try this recipe!
I have never been much of a baker. Frankly only a few sweets appeal to me. Dates are my go to when wanting a treat. These were so easy and the pictures help someone like me. There in the oven now and I know they will become a real favorite for me. I used almond flour and amaranth flour. thank you
Happy to hear that! I hope you love these date bars just as much as we did. Love the almond flour alternative too!
We made these as part of our homeschool history lesson on ancient African culture, which mentioned date trees. I packed them in a Tupperware for our morning hike the next day, and the kids both agreed the date bars were the best part of our trip. We’ll be making these again!
So happy to hear that Rachel! Thanks for trying my recipe and I’m glad your kids enjoyed these date bars too 🙂
It seemed like 2 cups of dates weren’t quite enough. Plus, the recipe never says what to do with the cooked dates. Put them into the food processor?
WOW!!! These are amazing! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly!
Made these today. Where does the vanilla go. Its listed as an ingredient but no where in the instructions. Very easy and tasty
Hi Suzanne! So sorry, you add it with the sugars in the oat mixture. I updated the recipe and I am so glad you loved these bars. 🙂