Back in the early 70s, my mom used to make date bars out of a mix from Betty Crocker. The memory of this dessert grew in my sister's mind and resides there as one of the most delicious sweet things that she has ever eaten. Our mom has tried to make the dessert for her a few times over the years but the real deal has never lived up to her memory.
For her last dinner during her recent trip here, I decided that I would make an attempt at recreating this myself. Online research determined that Betty Crocker actually has a from-scratch recipe online. For once in my life, since I was trying for authenticity rather than personalization, I did not adapt the recipe beyond totally removing the sugar that is added to the filling. Dates are sweet enough as it is. I couldn't find my square pan so I cooked the date-oat bars in a cake tin and cut the pieces into wedges rather than bars. For some reason, this presentation made the dessert seem more upscale than it actually is.
One thing that the original recipe below does not say but which I think is of the utmost importance: make these the day before and let them sit for a day. Our first taste of them was disappointing but the following day they tasted how they were supposed to.
Original recipe here.