Maple-Date Bars

These were fantastic! I did make 1 and 1/2 the amount of the crumbs as when I put the 2 cups in the bottom of the pan, I had barely enough to "crumb" half of the top. Baked at 375 degrees (convection oven) for 15 minutes and the color/consistency of the crust was perfect!

Good way to use up dates I had. Tasty recipe but not something I would make again.

I was looking for a recipe to use up some whole dates that were too dry to eat on their own. These turned out great! I spread 3/4 of the base in a larger pan, but didn't spread the mix right to the edges. I mixed the remaining topping with about 1/4 cup of roughly crushed almonds and pecans for some crunch. Unlike other comments, I didn't think these were overly sweet. I'll definitely be making these again.

Made these tonight. Yummy. I used 8 oz dates and when I added the lemon zest, I also added a tsp. of maple extract. My family thought they were very good. I cut the pan into 32 squares because of the "too sweet" comments and they are a nice two bite sweet.

I loved this recipe! I did, however, take some of the other readers' advice and the result was a bar with the perfect amount of sweet. Here's what I did: I reduced the dates to 7oz (from 12oz) and the water to 2/3c (from 3/4c). I also reduced the sugar to 1/3c (from 2/3c). Some other notes that may be of interest: I took the suggestion to cook it in a 9x9 pan. I didn't like the thickness of the cookie base, so in the future, I will bake this in a 9x13 pan as directed. I also found that the maple syrup didn't come through as well as I'd hoped. I used pure maple syrup (grade a dark) from a mailorder place in Vermont (excellent quality) but the flavor was not apparent to me. Just a heads up if you are looking for the maple to be the main flavor. I think I'll experiment with maple sugar in the base next time. I also would suggest keeping the filling away from the edges of the pan when spreading it to avoid cooking it and making it rather hard and chewy.

Fantastic! I only used 7 oz of dates and sugar-free syrup and they were perfect. They almost didn't last one day with my son and husband.

I found these too be overly sweet. It might have just been my own personal tastes, but I won't be making them again.

Served them for a ladies group and they were a big hit. I will be making these again.

A little too sweet with the dates for my taste but I make a fruit mix with pumpkin, apple, pear, berries; whatever fruit is available, cook it down until it is almost a paste and these turn out delicious. Dried figs are wonderful also when cooked and pureed. These are a favorite anytime.

My mom called these "the best ever." I agree about it putting it in a smaller baking dish so you can get a more substantial bar with a good amount of gooey date middle. I omitted the lemon because I didn't have it, but I don't think it detracted from the finished product in the least. Easy and delicious, especially when still warm from the oven. Yum.

these bars went into my christmas platter last year. they were delicious. the filling is sweet, but the crumb cookie topping and base are the perfect foil. the dates are the star and i had several people inquire about it. i will add this to my cookie collection.

Yummy! I used an 11X 7 pan and they came out perfect. Kids and husband loved them too.

Fabulous! Not all that maple-y, but VERY tasty. A New favorite!

I have never liked dates UNTIL I tried making these for my husband who loves them. I absolutely love these. The hint of lemon adds a nice fresh zing. When I make these they are never around very long!!

Why does the nutritional information for this recipe omit sugar? I'm sure it's very high.

These were really good! I made a few changes to the recipe. I decreased sugar to 1/3 cup in the batter and used 3 tbs maple syrup in the date filling. I used 2 tbs butter plus 1/3 cup applesauce to replace the butter in the dough. I forgot to reserve some batter for the top, so I made a topping out of 1 cup quick oats, 2 tbs maple syrup, and 2 tsp butter. However, I think it would be better without the topping. There wasn't a lot of maple flavoring in these bars, but that's probably because I decreased the maple syrup. My sister, who says she doesn't like dates, loved these bars. I will definitely make these again.

These were edible, but SO rich! I baked them in a 9x9 pan as others suggested. I had to cut the bars into very small squares to get the '20 servings' that the recipe calories are based on. I'm glad I did cut them small, because a little goes a long way, in my opinion. Next time I'm in the mood for date bars I'll probably experiment with another recipe.

These are delicious! I only had to cook the filling for less than 5 minutes. I used orange rind instead of lemon because I didn't have a lemon on hand. Instead of chopping whole dates, I bought the chopped ones -- that made it very easy. On the advice of previous reviewers, I used a 9x9 pan and I'm glad I did; the 13x9 size would have been awfully thin. I cut it into 32 small bars, each one just big enough for two bites. My family loved them. Both filling and crust are delicious. Definitely a keeper!

My husband LOVES these bars. I made them the first time last year, and he had me make them several times. Once September rolled around, he wanted me to make them again. He even asks me to make them for his office parties. Personally, they are a little sweet for me, but they have a great texture, maple flavor, and smell terrific!

Date bars are a family tradition at Christmas. Our old recipe was crumbly and dry though delicious. After making this recipe, we have switched. Not nearly as crumbly as the other, moist and so yummy. I didn't use the full amount of lemon zest. Pure maple syrup was used.