When I was a kid, my mother used to make date squares a lot. They weren’t my favourite but I still held fond memories of eating them.

I’ve always loved to bake and I’ve always baked homemade treats for my boy’s lunchbox. I was excited when I got my hands on my mum’s date square recipe and I used to follow it to a tee. My son has always loved them, even when I only put dates in them (as my mum did).

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with the recipe and this is what I’ve come up with (it tastes like Apple Crumble/Crisp…yum).

Apple Crumble Date Squares

FILLING

1/2 cup of fresh dates, pitted and chopped

1 cup of peeled and chopped apples

1 TBSP rice syrup or honey

2-4 TBSP of water

Bring to a boil and simmer just until apples are soft. Cut apples in small pieces to reduce cooking time. Remove from heat and mash to a thick puree consistency.

BASE & TOP

2 cups of plain wholemeal flour (I use wholemeal spelt flour sometimes or a combination)

1 cup of oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

2/3 cup of melted butter (not margarine)

Combine in a large bowl. Press half the mixture in a square baking tin. Spread the filling evenly over the base. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture evenly over the filling and gently press. Bake for 45 minutes.

OVEN TEMP: 180 celsius

TIPS

• Add chopped nuts or seeds to the base/top mixture or sultanas or raisons to the filling. Try different combinations.
• Freeze cut and pop a frozen square into lunch-boxes. By lunchtime, it’s thawed and ready to eat.
• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a yummy dessert.