Believe me when I say you will not be disappointed with this remake of a classic dessert! No one will know you did not use butter or sugar!
Classified as healthy, an average old fashioned date square, with refined sugars and butter may contain anywhere from 200-370 calories per serving size. Generally, I what consider 'true healthy' and what others do, often differ. Also, I cannot tell you how many calories are in this recipe per serving (since I never count calories!) but I can tell you that these yummies are refined sugar free, dairy free, gluten free and do not come near the calorie count quoted above! This recipe is versatile with a vegan option as well!
Orange Spice Date Squares
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 25-30 minutes
Preheat: 325F
Ingredients:
40-45 dates, pitted
1- 1 1/2 cup of cold water
3/4 tsp of cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
2 tbsp of orange juice, fresh squeezed
2 tbsp of orange zest, freshly grated
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of cardamon powder
1 cup of brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup of apple sauce, unsweetened
1/4 cup of almond butter
1 tsp of baking soda
2 cups of rolled quick oats
1/4 cup of honey or coconut nectar syrup (vegan option)
1/4 tsp of sea salt
Preparation: Date Paste
add dates and 1 cup of water to a cooking pot, bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium and allow dates to cook till softened (10- 15 minutes)
once softened (test with a wooden spoon) mash them or puree with a hand blender
to the pureed mixture add, the orange juice, orange zest, spices, vanilla extract, mix into dates and then add the additional 1/2 cup of water
cook an additional 5 minutes till liquid is absorbed into dates and makes a paste like consistency.
remove from heat
Topping:
in a medium size mixing bowl add the brown rice flour, almond flour, oats, baking soda, sea salt and mix together.
make a well in the centre of the dry mix and add the almond butter, honey(or nectar) and apple sauce
with a fork or clean hands; throughly mix in the wet mixture with the oat mixture until a crumbly texture develops (it may be more wet than crumbly, that’s okay!)
set aside
line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper
add 1/2 the crumble mixture to bottom of baking dish and press down to form a crust.
add the date paste, levelling it across the pan
add the remaining crumble on top; crumbling the mixture over the date paste mix
place in a 325F oven for 25-30 minutes
Meal Tip/Preparation
cut into squares, add coconut whip for an added treat!
for the recipe above I used 'Deglett' dates, which are from Tunisia/Algeria, they are sweeter, drier, smaller and chewier. If using Medjool dates for the recipe you will need between 30-35 as they are a larger date.
freeze for 2 weeks or into fridge for 3-4 days
