Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipes Series
In my family, Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares have a long history. My father-in-law loved these squares and every time we visited, a batch of these squares was always a must-have.
My research indicates that this old-fashioned dessert has been popular for a very long time in Canada, particularly in Western Canada, Quebec and Newfoundland. Date squares are made using layers of oat crumb crust and a date purée filling. These delicious squares are also known as matrimonial cake. I thought that this was an unusual name until I understood the significance of the two layers of oat crumble holding the dates together. Apparently, these layers symbolize the couple courting and then completing that bond in marriage (I suppose it made sense back then).
I have made this recipe for The Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares for many years. I have always used traditional ingredients such as all-purpose flour, brown sugar and unsalted butter, which always provided a delicious result! In this post, I made modifications to this old fashioned recipe and have adapted it to make a gluten-free and dairy-free version with no loss of flavour, texture or overall appearance. I have provided both recipe versions with the gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients listed first and the traditional ingredients following. Both deliver a great result.
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