Dates for squares

It's still February, and we're still 2, so I'm still making square things.

And these dates are as close as I want to get to anything called a "date" this close to VD. 

Date Squares

• 3 c dates
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 c quick cooking oats
• 1 c flour
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 c cold butter

My oven is already pre- heating to 350.

First, the filling. Dates are very sticky and sweet; measure them whole, packed into the measuring cup like you would brown sugar, then dump them out

and chop them

See? Sticky.

Dump the chopped dates into a pot with the water and vanilla and put them over medium-low heat. They only need about 5 or 10 minutes in the pot. Stir them from time to time, and you'll know they're done when most of the water is gone. At that point, mash them.

Apparently you could dump them in a food processor, but I'd rather wash a potato masher than a food processor. Also, my food processor is already in the dirty dishes pile.

While the dates are cooking down, you can put the crusty parts together. Dump all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.

Then add the cold butter, chopped in chunks, and use a pastry cutter to turn it into soft, moist crumbs.

They should hold together like a sand castle when you squish a handful.

Press about 2/3 of the crumbs into a buttered, parchment-lined square pan. I don't know if mine is 8 or 9 inches but I'm pretty sure it will all fit.

Next, the mashed dates, spread out to the edges.

Dump the last of the crumbs on top and gently spread them out.

Pan, meet oven.

Let them cool in the pan for a while before lifting them out (parchment is so handy) onto a cooling rack. I've seen suggestions to let the big square chill in the fridge for a while before cutting into little squares, and I think they might be onto something.

They did hold their shape, but they'd have been better at it if they were colder. Even still, I recommend eating with a fork, all fancy like.

What kind of squares do you eat by hand?