What did you all have for Christmas dinner?
We have had lasagna or lasagna rolls for years. This year my son requested meatballs so we used a meatball casserole he found on line. Pretty good. And we were able to have meatball subs the next day. Two-fer. :)
I thought I would share a favorite Christmas tradition recipe and would love to hear what yours are. :)
DATE NUT BARS (even those who don’t like dates will like these)
Apologies to the advanced places in the world that use metric.
13inX9in pan Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
1 Cup Sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/4 Cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups dates, chopped (I just use the whole 8 oz bag and I always chop them myself because I don’t care for the pre-chopped ones)
1 cup pecans, chopped
Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
These are super easy to make and super yummy :)
Slowly add sugar to eggs while whisking or in mixer, add cooled melted butter and beat well. Add vanilla. I never use a mixer, just a spoon/whisk/plastic spatula and a large bowl. Add flour, salt and baking powder (you can sift dry ingredients together prior to adding to wet ingredients but I rarely do)
Fold in dates and nuts. Batter will be thick. Spread into greased pan. Bake for aprox 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean and bars turn a light golden color. If they stay in too long the dates become hard.
While warm cut into bars. Roll in powdered sugar or sprinkle with powdered sugar or leave plain. They are good any way you prepare them. Store in an air tight container.
You can also toast your pecans prior to use. This adds more depth to the bars’ flavor but they are good regardless.