Oaty Pecan Date Bars
A delicious snack, breakfast, or dessert full of sweet, caramelly dates and toasty pecans. Try your hand at making this Tasti pecan and date slice with the kids these school holidays!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups Tasti Dates, deseeded and roughly chopped
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
180g butter, softened
¾ cup soft brown sugar
1 ½ cups plain flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup + ¼ cup Tasti Pecans
METHOD
In a saucepan, combine the chopped dates, maple syrup, vanilla extract and 1 ¼ cups of warm water with a pinch of salt. Place over a medium heat, and cook while stirring for 5-10 minutes or until the dates have cooked down and the mixture has thickened. Set aside to cool.
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees celsius fan bake. To make the oaty base mixture, cream together the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, rolled oats, and mix until just combined.
Line a rectangular slice tin, then press half of the base mixture into the tin. Stir 1 cup of pecans into the cooled date mixture, then spoon over the oaty base and spread evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining base over the top of the dates, leaving in bigger pieces to create a crumble topping. Roughly chop the remaining pecans, and sprinkle over the topping. Place into the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the base is golden brown.
Leave to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin, and leave to cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.