Description

These melt in your mouth bars are full of mejdool dates and toasted almonds for a sweet and satisfying crunch every bite.

Ingredients

Units Scale

12 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almonds (toasted)
5–7 medjool dates (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Prepare a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Once pre-heated, toast the almonds on a small baking sheet for 10 minutes. While nuts toast, continue with step 2. Remove almonds from oven and cool slightly before chopping them.
Chop the dates and set aside. In a medium bowl mix together the AP flour, whole wheat flour and salt until combined. Add the chopped dates to the flour mixture and mix. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar for 2 minutes until fully combined, scrape down side of bowl, add almond extract and combine. Add the flour and date mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides. Add the toasted, chopped almonds, mix until incorporated.
Use a spatula or your hands to spread out the dough in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until they’re slightly golden. Allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing. Slice into 16 bars and enjoy!

Notes

What if I don’t have time to bring my butter up to room temperature? I totally understand. You can slice the butter into small sections, place on a plate and microwave in 10 second intervals until it’s able to be spread. Then place in mixing bowl and continue with recipe!

What if I don’t have/can’t find whole wheat flour? Don’t use it! You can substitute the whole wheat flour with all purpose flour, and it still tastes delicious. Unfortunately, I do not know if these would work with a gluten-free flour.

Any substitutions for dates and almonds? Definitely try to find these ingredients as I find them to be a perfect pair. But, you can replace almonds with pistachios, walnuts or pecans. Substitute dates with dried cranberries, raisins or apricots.

Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 25