The hubs and I don't really celebrate this day, mostly because we're that annoying couple who believes we don't need a day to remind us that we love each other. (Go ahead, barf. I won't watch.)
To that end, and with all this time on my hands, I decided to cook dinner and dessert last night as a bit of a pre-V Day surprise. Dinner was meh, but dessert saved the evening. Thanks to a relatively new-found obsession with dates, I decided to make date and almond bars from the always-winning cookbook, Fat Witch: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars. (If you've never had a Fat Witch brownie, you are seriously missing out. They are guaranteed to change your life, and I can't believe she gives away her recipe in the book because the end result is spot-on in texture and flavor.)
I'm usually not one to alter a recipe, but I thought the addition of coconut to this dish would make the bar even more amazing, and it turns out, I was right (for once). This seemingly simple add essentially re-creates the taste of Pret a Manger's famous Love bars but somehow with completely different ingredients. For extra indulgence, we topped ours with some Grater's vanilla chocolate-chip ice cream.
Please don't be dismayed by the amount of butter and sugar in this recipe. These bars are well worth the splurge.
Date and Almond Bars from the Fat Witch (with an addition so slight it's not worth calling an adaptation)
Ingredients:
| For the filling: 1 3/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped dried dates 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds | For the batter: 1 cup +2 tablespoons unbleached flour 1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter almost at room temperature, cut into pieces 1/4 cup shredded coconut |
Directions:
Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with butter. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Preheat the oven to 350.
To make the filling, bring the dates, orange juice, and sugar to a boil in a medium pan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for three minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be thick. Remove from heat, stir in the almonds and set aside.
To make the batter, measure and then sift the flour into a large bowl or mixer. Stir in the oats, brown sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces one at a time and mix well. The dough will be crumbly. Finish mixing until you get a smooth consistency.
Press the oat mixture evenly into baking pan. Using a spatula, spread the date mixture evenly on top of the oat mixture in the pan. Sprinkle the top with oats and coconut.
Bake for 30 minutes until light brown on top and the edges are browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for one hour. Cut just before serving. Makes 12 to 16 bars.
(Not-So-Great iPhone) Photo: Me!
What are you dining on for Valentine's Day?
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