Date-and-Walnut Bars Recipe (2024)

So much sugar! How can we cut down on sugar?

Assuming the yield is 24 bars, you're correct. The recipe calls for approximately 2 tablespoons of sugar per bar, not including natural sugar in the dates. You can try to reducing the amount of sugar, but your date-walnut bars may not be fit for the gods. (Apparently, the gods also like butter - each bar contains approximately 1-1/3 tablespoons.) I'm absolutely not suggesting that people don't eat these. But, knowing what your eating isn't a bad thing.

Try adding a 1/2 cup of applesauce using less butter and less granulated sugar.

Dates have so much natural sugar themselves, so unless you have a VERY sweet tooth, there's no way you'd need that much sugar to make them good. That said, messing with sugar quantities can mess with the chemistry of the recipe. For folks who are trying not to eat refined sugar, there are a lot of good versions of bars out there that contain only dates and no sugar at all.

Sorry to all those who thought there was too much sugar or butter-- taste-wise, this was GREAT. Just exactly what I was looking for in a nutty sweet bite. Also made a 1/2 batch in a 9X13 baking pan, and it turned out perfectly. I wanted to make it a little fancier-looking for company, so I spread some bittersweet chocolate ganache over the top, which may have offset the sweetness. Wonderful and easy. I'll make it again.

yeah that seems like a lot of sugar. i love anything with dates and i'm going to put in a little shredded orange rind when i make these.

I was comparing this recipe to our family recipe for the FFG bars. This indeed this is too sweet. Reduce the dates to 2 cups and eliminate the granulated sugar. Also coat the cut up dates with a little of the flour to ensure that they do not sink to the bottom when baked. I would also reduce the eggs to 4. The butter is about right. I enjoy these bars straight out of the fridge or freezer where they just melt in your mouth...

I make one using almond & coconut flour and NO sugar from this recipe: elanaspantry.com/paleo-date-walnut-bread/

Personally, I think lightly roasted pecans would be an improvement. I've never been a fan of walnuts but it's not everyone's opinion. If you like pecans it can't hurt the recipe.

I haven't made this recipe, but I recall comments about butter from the article: "“It was a lot of trial and error,” said Manzke, who noticed that creaming the butter too much, or using a light hand with the dates, would push the bars toward a more caky texture....Cut the dates nice and big. Keep an eye on the butter and sugar, so the mixture doesn’t get overly pale and airy. And don’t skimp on the fruit and nuts. If you follow Manzke’s simple techniques, you’ll get the chewiness...." Good luck.

I had to come back and re-rate these to a five star because these are so much more delicious the second and third day. SO GOOD.

All NYT desserts recipes are too heavy with sugar

Yikes! More than 8 teaspoons of sugar per serving and 24 grams of fat and over 400 calories!! Skip this one. Overboard.

I plan to make these bars this weekend, so I may post an addition to this note. This recipe is nearly identical to a date bar recipe that has been in my family for a couple generations. We make it at Christmas time, cut it into sticks and roll them in powdered sugar. It is our traditional breakfast on Christmas morning with coffee, tea or a glass of sherry! If I find the similarity to be true, it will be a lovely recipe, but not an unusual one, per se.

We made . It is too sweet. We already added vanilla for the eggs , still too eggy.Overall, nothing to write to gods about.

Too much sugar and fat in this one? Blithely second guess the recipe and pay the price.I halved it, subbed full fat greek yogurt for 50% of the butter, omitted the white sugar, and baked it in a parchment lined 8x8x2 metal. It rose cake-like, the bottom burned, the texture was not dense enough, nor the flavor sweet enough.Follow the recipe. If you're put off by the quantities of ingredients, serve smaller portions.

Made this as written to mix up my Xmas cookies except:- added two teaspoons of chai spice mix- used a pan that was too small (8x13)It definitely overflowed. I was unsure if the spice mix would complement these flavors... but boy does it! With so much brown sugar, the chai spice mix brought it close to a gingerbread flavor. Perfect for my Christmas cookies!

Loved this yummy recipe. I agree that it needs vanilla, one tsp. Each day the bars get better and chewier. I frozen 2/3 of the batch for later. Since I need to gain weight, I wonder about dipping them into thin chocolate. That would make them like a candy bar!

I've only baked the recipe from the République cookbook, which lists slightly different quantities of ingredients:330g all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda½ tsp kosher salt400g pitted Medjool dates440g unsalted butter, pliable but still cold425g dark brown sugar280g granulated sugar6 eggs260g walnuts, roughly choppedFollowing the recipe exactly as is, the bars were a huge hit with all my friends. You need ALL the sugar and butter for proper texture.

Oh, these are wonderful. We live at 5,000 ft above sea level so some adjustments had to be made. Mainly, cutting the amts of baking soda and powder in half, adding about 3 T extra flour and using extra-large eggs.I cut the recipe in half and used an 11X8' pan. I'll add more walnuts next time. Because of the high caloric and fat content I cut them about 1X2".I had to put these in the freezer right away, they just started to vanish!

I've made this recipe as written a dozen times, although with whatever dates I could find, always a big hit. They freeze well too.

I reduced sugar by 10% (King Arthur Site Recommendation). Makes a lot of bars--close to 60. The dates have a slightly bitter flavor and they really don't taste as sweet as I thought. And, it harkens back to my Grandma's baking. I froze half the bars for later and considering taking some to a neighbor. Will make a half recipe next time. The flavor, as directed by recipe, is date and walnuts and is really good. Food For the Gods? Maybe if the gods wanted something with their coffee....

Just made this. Added sugared ginger. Added a splash of vanilla. Subtracted 1/3 cup of brown sugar. replaced 3/4 cup of flour with whole wheat. Did half dates, half dried figs. It came out higher than the bars pictured. Something tells me i could've left out 1 stick of butter. It's good, but not I'm gonna make it again good.

I expected these to be a better, gourmet version but prefer these...For a delicious, chewy date bar that you’ll feel good eating: 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 c sifted flour,1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 eggs, 1 c each chopped dates and walnuts. 9x9 pan. That’s it. No butter. Hand mix. I started buying chopped dates (which come dusted in a little sugar) and these whip up in a few minutes. Dust with powdered sugar when cool.

If you want a delicious, but less over the top, recipe, try the Date-Nut Bars in Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (1999), It has one pound of dates, one cup of sugar, one cup of flour, and only one stick of butter, and some baking powder, salt, and walnuts. It is baked in a 13 x 9-inch pan. I have been making them for 45 years (when the book was first published), and they are still delicious to me. One pound of butter, even for a 13 x 18 pan, seems excessive, as is the serving size.

Has anyone tried freezing these?

Yes, these bars are very rich and sugary. But they are tender and have a dreamy caramelized flavor and aroma. I put most of the bars in the freezer and am enjoying them immensely (in small portions).

To try to get chewiness and increase taste complexitySubbed 40g chickpea flour for APSubbed 50g date molasses for white sugarReduced brown sugar by 30gMelted and browned butter, mixed sugars into melted butterAdded 1T vanilla, 0.25t orange oilStirred butter/sugar into floured dates and nutsMixed remaining dry ingredients into thisBaked and cut into 1” bars Very good, chewy not cakey

Perfect - mine were done in 32 minutes in my oven, which is true to temp. If you bake to long they will get dry. I sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served whipped cream with some of them.

I tried this recipe with some amendments as suggested by other readers (less sugar, less eggs, less dates) but believe they may have been the key to this recipe’s success. It was dry and more cakey than I hoped, but nice enough with a cuppa. Probably best to stick to the original recipe for a first time bake.