Are you looking for a different kind of cookie to give as holiday gifts?  Then this retro recipe (hugely popular in the Midwest in the 1950s) may be just what you need. These oatmeal-date bars are absolutely delicious, rich, and will make wonderful gifts, if you can keep from eating them all yourself.

You can bake them in two 8-x8-inch pans or in one large 9-x13-inch pan. I like to use two pans because I can freeze one and enjoy it a month or so later.

If you can find Medjool dates, they make a superior bar because they’re large, plump, sweet, and moist. You can also use less sugar with these dates. Regular, store-bought dates, however, will work just fine. If you can’t find pitted dates, they are really no trouble to pit yourself.

Snip your pitted dates into small bits with a scissors into a medium-sized saucepan.

Add water and sugar and boil until the dates form a thick, somewhat lumpy, paste.

Remove from the heat and stir in chopped walnuts. In a large bowl, whisk together white flour and salt.

Cut in the butter and vegetable shortening with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs are formed.

Add brown sugar (I prefer the dark variety) and continue to mix with you pastry blender. Never allow it to form a paste.

Stir in the oats, and blend until evenly distributed.

Dissolve baking soda in a little warm water and sprinkle over the mixture. Gently mix. Spread half of the crumb mixture into the pan or pans, gently patting into place.

Spread the date mixture over the top and smooth out.

Then spread the remaining crumb mixture over the dates and very gently pat into place.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Lower the over to 325° and bake another 15 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut into bars.

One friend tells me, he prefers the bars refrigerated because they are less crumbly, but I can’t attest to the effectiveness of this.

To print or download the recipe, click here.