May 11, 2007

Date Walnut Squares

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A few days ago I threw out a lot of really old food items in my refrigerator and freezer. That prompted me and my daughter to check the cabinets and pantry for expired stuff, and boy were there plenty! My daughter was bewildered why I keep 2 large containers of dates, one unopened and another with about 2 cups left. They don't expire nor go bad but they do take up so much space. Date walnut squares, or as we call them in the Philippines, Food for the Gods, is the yummy result of a little bit of cleaning cabinet/pantry clutter. These tiny nuggets are so rich, so delicious, just one or two will satisfy you. They are very greasy, though, so I wrap them individually in plastic wrap. In the Philippines the bake shops wrap them in aluminum foil.


Date Walnut Squares
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temprature
¼ cup grapeseed or light olive oil
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups dates, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil.
  • Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
  • In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, with a hand mixer, mix sugar, butter and oil for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated. With a rubber spatula stir in flour mixture and nuts, then stir in dates. Spoon into the prepared pan evenly, smoothing top. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Let cool before cutting into 1-inch squares. Wrap individually in pieces of foil or plastic wrap.
moist, soft, buttery bites, so aptly named "food for the gods"

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this menu! My daughters were just talking about this few weeks ago and I didn't know where to get these! Gracias!

Oggi said...

You are most welcome. I will make mango and calamansi cupcakes next, you might be interested in these very pinoy flavored cakes, so check back next week.

christine said...

Oh gosh, I've been dreaming of the Date and Walnut Dacquoise I had last Easter in Dumaguete. And then I see this! Thank you, it couldn't have come at a better time. They look delicious! :)

Oggi said...

Oh, I was curious about the Date and Walnut Dacquoise. After reading your post I imagined it as layers of walnut meringue, date genoise and maybe light chocolate or coffee cake with thin cream caramel in between layers.:D

Unknown said...

what alternative oil can be used instead of grapeseed oil? I was looking for a recipe just like yours, thanks.

Oggi said...

hi Karina very light olive or canola are the alternative oils, although I'm partial to olive.

Sorry for the late response, I saw your comment/query only today.

Anonymous said...

in your listed ingredients, theres NO oil, just butter. how much oil should i use? thank you!

Oggi said...

Oops, I think I had to re-write this 2 years ago and somehow did not include the grapeseed oil...sorry about that. Add a quarter cup of light olive oil or double the amount of butter.

Mike Bahry said...

This is going to be the best cake that I had made, yes cake. I am baking it as a round cake.

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