When my friend, who is from Iran, learned that I enjoy eating a date when I have a cup of tea, she was excited. Now, each time I see her, she gives me a small box of dates. The thing is, I sometimes eat a date with my cup of tea.
The other day, I bent down and declared, “Dates are multiplying in our fridge. What can we make with dates?” Then I remembered Mrs. Thoreson’s date bars. A year after moving from Japan to California, I found myself at Salvador Elementary School, where Mrs. Thoreson (who was about four feet tall) reigned over the cafeteria. Along with a few other sixth graders, I worked in the cafeteria serving Mrs. Thoreson’s delicious recipes behind a glass counter. Those of us who worked in the cafeteria got a free lunch. I always hoped that my workday landed on a “date bar” day.
“Mrs. Thoreson’s Date Bars!”
Natalie looked for a recipe that she thought Mrs. Thoreson might have used and voila! It’s a good recipe. It uses 3 cups of dates!
You can easily cut the recipe in half and still have 20 or so date bars. They’re not too sweet; and they’re perfect with a cup of tea. I hope my friend keeps bringing me little boxes of dates.
Note: I use a “un-packed” cup of brown sugar in the bars and no sugar in the filling + I melted my Irish butter and added the dry ingredients. Recipe says butter or margarine; make sure to cross out the word “margarine” in the recipe; margarine is quite horrible for our beautiful bodies. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/date-bars/4b716ead-523c-42eb-b589-e48dc5240c3d
