Date Pecan Bars with Dried Cranberries

My mother Ruth has been making these naturally moist and delicious date and pecan bars for decades.  Although not based on a classic German recipe, these cookies fit quite nicely on our family’s traditional Christmas cookie platter.  The recipe is easy to make, and very versatile.  These days, you can even buy dates and nuts pre-chopped, which really trims your preparation time.

Ingredients can be swapped out very easily, too.  The original 1956 recipe calls for ¼ pound of candied cherries.  My mother now uses the healthier ingredient of dried cranberries instead.  My mother’s friend, Beatrice Chang, recently told her she successfully used this recipe substituting walnuts for the pecans, and dried apricots for the dates.

These cookie bars are chock full of dried fruit and nuts; indeed, there is just enough batter to hold the key ingredients together.  My mother says this old Gourmet cookie recipe is different from most others, and that she has never found another quite like it.  I guess you could say it is an old recipe with a new attitude!

Recipe for Date and Pecan Bars, or Apricot and Walnut Bars

Adapted from Gourmet Cookbook (1956, 8^th edition)

Note:  The pecans can be replaced with walnuts; the dates can be replaced with dried apricots; the candied cherries can be replaced with dried cranberries (and the dried cranberries don’t need to be chopped).  If you are chopping your own dates, use a little sugar to keep the dates from sticking to the knife blade and to each other.

Active time: If you are chopping your own ingredients, it could take about an hour or a little more, including baking time.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
1 pound dates, pitted and chopped
¼ pound candied cherries, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour and the baking powder, set aside.  In a large bowl, by hand using a wire whisk, cream together the eggs and the sugar.  Using a flat wooden spoon, add the pecans, dates, candied cherries, and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Spread the batter in an unbuttered shallow rimmed baking pan (about 10 x 15 inch size, or jelly roll pan size) and bake for 30 minutes.

date pecan cake, just out of the oven, before cutting into bars

Cut cake into small bars while still warm, about 1.5 x 2.5 inches in size, or a size to your liking. Cool bars completely on a rack.  Store in an airtight container or tin, layered with wax paper for maximum freshness.

cut cookie bars cooling on a rack -- naturally moist and delicious!