Date Bars

I had been thinking for a long time about this month's A Fruit A Month (AFAM) event. Do I have a recipe that I can share? Do I try making date pancakes? Or should I stick to good old bhel puri? I thought about it for a while and then thought some more. And I remembered this recipe that's been in my drafts for almost as long as I can remember.

This is one more of Amma's recipes. She learnt this at baking class. It is relatively easy to make and tastes so good that you really have to exercise self control to not eat up the entire batch when it is freshly made.

For the base:

2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Butter

4 tbsp Powdered Sugar

2-3 drops Almond Essence

For the topping:

150g Dates

4 1/2 tbsp Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

A pinch Salt

2-3 drops Almond Essence

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Lime Rind

2 tbsp Raisins

2 tbsp Chopped Nuts

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Combine all the ingredients for the base. Press the mixture into a tray that is greased and lined with butter paper. Bake at 170 C for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the dates and cook with 1/4 cup water until soft. Allow to cool. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the brown sugar along with the eggs. Mix in the flour mixture, dates, lime rind, almond essence, vanilla essence, nuts and raisins. Spread this over the baked base and bake again for 25-30 minutes at 170 C.

You really have to make these and sample them to realize how yummy they can be. (As always, the pictures aren't exactly the best.) I am sending this to Chandrika of Akshayapatra for this month's AFAM.