Next up I stayed in the Company-Best section of the cookbook with Unbaked Date Walnut Squares from p. 135. These were somewhat messy but tasty bars with a graham cracker crust and gooey date filling.

These were a type of bar with a crust, filling and crumbly topping. Super simple to make. They don’t require any baking, but do take a little time at the stovetop.

Step one was to chop the dates and then add them to a pan with some water and sugar. This is boiled for a few minutes until the dates are soft and the mixture is slightly thickened. Then some of the chopped walnuts are added and the mixture set aside.

Next, the crust ingredients are mixed together — melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Three quarters of this mixture is pressed in the bottom of an 8×8″ pan. The cooled date mixture is spooned over the top and spread evenly.

Finally, the remaining nuts are mixed with the remaining crumb mixture, and that is sprinkled over the top and lightly pressed down. The completed bars are refrigerated for a few hours until they are firm enough to cut.

Bottom line: These were slightly sweet, somewhat messy, but tasty bars with a nutty date filling. They were easy and quick to make (except for needing a few hours of refrigeration before cutting them). If I made them again, I might up the amount of melted butter in the crust to help keep it together a bit more.