No Other Square Can Compare

My local market is loaded with freshly dried Tunisian dates at the moment. A kilogram box of deglet noor dates sell for about three dollars, which is a relative bargain. Once they’re stemmed and pitted, you’re left with about two pounds of delicious fruit. Dates can be eaten by themselves as a snack or stuffed with a variety of fillings such as nuts, cheeses or other fruits as an hor dourve. They are also quite common and popular in tagines and dessert items.

My favorite usage of dates is in a date square, or what some call “matrimonial cake”. The base of a date square is solid, the filling is smooth and the top is rough, which is supposedly a description one could give to marriage, thus where the name is derived. I’m not sure that I buy this, but ordinarily this is how I would fashion my own. Occasionally it is nice to press the top flat and create a firm and gooey marriage, more akin to the consummation than the marriage and equally as satisfying.

Date squares are apparently as Canadian as Nanaimo bars or butter tarts, which I find strange as dates do not grow here naturally as far as I’m aware. It is commonplace to me, and I would miss the easy accessibility of a date square when I find myself waiting in an airport at 6am

looking for the perfect accompaniment to a bold cup of coffee to keep me awake until my flight. Since most of the sweetness comes from the dates themselves and the crust is composed of oats, it is even somewhat nutritious; especially compared to a lot of the pastries, muffins and cakes that grace the shelves of most coffee shops.

I personally enjoy the flavors of cognac, vanilla and orange in my date squares, but you can freely omit them from this recipe if you wish and still end up with tasty results. I would be hesitant of calling them “orange and cognac” date squares if that were the case though.

Orange & Cognac Date Squares

• 16 ounces dates, pitted and chopped
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 ounce cognac
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt

1. Combine the dates, water, sugar, cognac, orange zest, vanilla and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir occasionally until the mixture resembles a thick, chunky syrup and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Taste the filling and continue to cook, with the additional of more water if necessary, if the mixture still needs to soften to your preference. Cool the filling completely.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Combine flour, oats, sugar, butter, baking soda and a pinch of salt to resemble a coarse meal that loosely sticks together.
6. Press half the oat mixture into a 9×13″ pan that has been greased and dusted with flour.
7. Spread all of the date mixture evenly over the pressed oats using a spatula.
8. Cover the date mixture with the remaining oat mixture to cover.
9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing into desired size squares or bars.