Newfoundland Date Crumbles
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Newfoundland Date Crumbles (or Date Squares). A recipe every local family knows and loves. The secret is having the right proportion of butter in the crumble and this recipe gets it just right.
Originally published October 2007.
Not just Nanny Hynes' favourite square, another universal Newfoundland treat common to almost every family cookbook is Newfoundland Date Crumbles.
There are many recipes out there for these popular squares but this is the best recipe I have ever used.
The secret to a good crumble is the proper amount of butter in the recipe. Many recipes use too little, resulting in a dry end product where the crumble doesn't hold together properly.
I've seen them so dry you could blow the crumble like dust off the top of the square. Not my idea of a great crumble.
The other vital component in Newfoundland Date Crumbles is the filling. Opinions and tastes vary. My wife is partial to lots of filling. I am middle of the road when it comes to this topic.
We both agree though, that the thin, near non-existent layer of filling that some commercial bakeries try to pass off as a proper date crumble these days is really unacceptable. Try this recipe and you'll easily see the difference.
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Newfoundland Date Crumbles
Newfoundland Date Squares or Date Crumbles is a recipe every local family knows and loves. The secret is having the right proportion of butter in the crumble and this recipe gets it just right.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 18 ounces dates, chopped (about 4 cups) See note below.
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla
- 2 cups boiling water
For the crumble
- 2 cups rolled oats, large(not quick oats)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut, fine or medium cut
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups butter, cut in small cubes
Instructions
For the filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper if you want.
- As noted in the recipe description, some people prefer these date squares with less filling so you can reduce the amounts in the filling by ¼, ⅓ or even ½ if you prefer.
- In a medium saucepan combine and gently simmer until thickened (about 10-15 minutes).
- The filling should be very thick; you will need to watch it carefully and stir constantly in the last few minutes of cooking time.
- Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the crumble mixture.
To prepare the crumble
- In a large bowl, toss together the rolled oats, baking powder, coconut, flour and brown sugar.
- Using your hands, rub the butter thoroughly through the dry ingredients.
- Divide crumble mixture in half and press half into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- Spread date mixture over the base.
- Top with remaining crumb mixture, pressing it together in clumps in your hands and then breaking it into small pieces with your fingers to scatter evenly over the date filling.
- Press down lightly.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- This is a very good basic recipe but I have also had very good variations of date crumbles over the years.
- Orange Date Crumbles: Substitute orange juice for the water in the filling and add the zest of a medium orange.
- Cocoa Date Crumbles: Add 4 tablespoon cocoa to the filling.
- Hazelnut or Almond Date Crumbles: Prepare filling as usual. Add ½ cup ground Almonds or Hazelnuts plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon nutmeg to the crumble.
Notes
UPDATE: I do sometimes make the crumble in a food processor just to speed up the preparation time. However, I do not add the oatmeal to the processor. I take a minute or two to rub it trough the other ingredients once they come out of the food processor. This keeps the whole oats intact.
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Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
36 cookie squaresAmount Per Serving Calories 203Saturated Fat 6gCholesterol 22mgSodium 79mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 16gProtein 1g
Love it - lemon is also very good!
Another winner! Made them today and they are wonderful!! Thanks, Barry!
Really is the Best Date Crumbles I've ever made! Only recipe I use now, so Tks Barry...love all your recipes!!!
Aunt Marie knows what she's at. I've never made them differently in decades!
Love date squares. I don't put coconut in mine everything else is much the same.
Sometimes I don't either. The amount of butter is the crucial thing in Date Crumbles IMHO.
My daughter-in-law is from NL, I made them for her, brought back many warm memories for her
That's terrific. Familiar food holds so many great memories of home for Newfoundlanders.
is the vanilla amount correct? 1 1/2 tablespoons sounds like a lot, unless it's artificial?
Yes it is. This is a large batch which uses over a pound of dates. You can use less if you prefer.
Barry, thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I grew up with a lovely little bakery at the end of our street that made these squares. When they closed the bakery years ago, I thought that I would never get to have my favorite date squares again! What a happy surprise to find your recipe through the link on your Nutella Fudge Crumble squares. Now I'll be baking like crazy making both bars!! 🙂
Happy new year to you and your family!
Glad to bring back such happy memories. Happy New Year to you too.
I love date squares and want to try my hand at this recipe, how many cups does 18 oz. make please, thanks.
Don't know if I ever measured them because that's the size of the package I usually use. I'll try and remember to measure next time.
Hi: Barry:
I have a question regarding the 18 oz dates, is that 2 + cups.
18 ounces by weight, so 1 pound 2 ounces.
Can i omit the coconut? My husband don't like it.
Yes.
If you omit the coconut do you add 1 additional cup of oatmeal?
Not necessarily the whole cup but maybe half.
These are truly delicious. For the filling I used a can of crushed pineapple with the juice, reduced the water to one cup, used the butter but no sugar. They are heavenly!!!
Hi, really want to try these but what do you mean by coconut? Is it dried shredded coconut?
Thanks.
Yes fine cut, dried shredded coconut.
Hi,do you have the nutrient info on these? They look and sound so good, I would like to make them for my family,but my granddaughter is type1 diabetic so I need the carb count so we can adjust her insulin to cover this special treat.
Not my area of expertise, I'm afraid. I'm just a home cook.
Like them but just a little too much vanilla flavouring. Takes away from the taste of the dates. Next time I think 1 1/2 teaspoons would be enough.