Thick, soft and wonderfully gooey gluten free date squares. These bars are made with a buttery, oat and brown sugar cookie-like base topped off with a not-too-sweet date filling spiced with instant coffee and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. All of that topped with with a final dusting of the simple crisp topping. Naturally gluten free with vegan and oat free options available!
ARE OATS GLUTEN FREE? – LEARN MORE ABOUT GLUTEN FREE OATS
Did you know that date squares are also sometimes known as matrimonial bars? Apparently the crumb crust and topping brought together through the date filling symbolise two people solidifying their love and relationship through marriage. Sweet, right? (Don’t hate me for that pun!)
Funnily enough I learned that after making a batch on my wedding anniversary. It was only after I had a batch of bars baking in the oven that I looked up where Date Bars come from (Canada in case you didn’t know) and stumbled upon that little fun fact.
But enough of all the chit-cat – let’s get baking!
How to Make these Gluten Free Date Squares
Altogether these bars are very easy to make. The prep takes about 10 – 15 minutes tops without too much effort needed. The ingredients are all fairly straight forward and things you likely have on hand already. Dates are the most exotic ingredient needed here.
The Filling
To make the filling – you’re going to need a blender. Simply add all of the filling ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth, or mostly smooth. I prefer leaving a few chunks of dates left intact for some added texture.
Unlike traditional date squares I added a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee and cocoa powder to my filling. Dates are very sweet and I think the coffee and the cocoa help to tone it down while bringing out additional highlight flavours. If you prefer, you can absolutely leave both of those out.
The Crust & Topping
I took a lot of inspiration from Blueberry Crumb Bars when making these date squares.
The crumble crust and topping and based on the same recipe – the main difference here is that I chose to use rolled oats in addition to all purpose flour for some added texture (similar to Raspberry Crumble Bars recipe). That being said, oats are not mandatory for this recipe! If oats are off the table for you, you can increase the amount of gf all purpose flour instead and you’re good to go. Check the recipe notes for amounts.
To make – simple whisk together all of your dry ingredients until combined, then stir in the melted butter until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
Once you’re ready, press about half of the dough into a prepared baking pan to form the crust then pour and smooth the date filling over the top. Finally, sprinkle the remaining crumble over the top of everything and that’s it! Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
Substitutions and Additions
How do I make these oat free?
- Instead of using 1 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour and 1 1/4 cup roll oats, just use a total of 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour.
- If you’re making these for a friend or family member who follow a gluten free diet – make sure they can have oats or just make it oat free to be safe. Some celiacs still react to oats, even if they are labelled gluten free.
How do I make it dairy free?
- Just use a non dairy butter or coconut oil. If you use coconut oil just make sure it’s softened and mix it into the dough instead of melting it. Keep in mind that coconut oil will also make for a more crumbly crust.
Can I use another type of date?
- Technically yes, but you may need to tweak the recipe to accommodate different dates here. Medjool dates are larger and softer than most other types of dates. They also have a more caramel-y flavour that lends itself here well.
- If you use another type of date you’ll probably need to add more and your bars might not be quite as sweet.
Optional Add-Ins
- You can get creative adding things in with your filling for added flavour and texture. Chopped walnuts, candied ginger pieces and chocolate chips scattered throughout would all work well in here.
❤️More Date Recipes❤️
- Carrot Cake Bliss Balls
- Healthy Chocolate Coffee Smoothie
- 2 Ingredient Nut & Date Balls
- Date Caramel
- Chocolatey Hazelnut Date Balls
- Chocolate Covered Dates
Gluten Free Date Squares
Thick, soft and wonderfully gooey gluten free date squares. These bars are made with a soft, buttery, oat and brown sugar cookie-like base topped off with a not-too-sweet date filling spiced with instant coffee and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. All of that topped with with a final dusting of the simple crisp topping.
Ingredients
Filling
- 10 medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup (240 ml) warm water
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Crust & Topping
- 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (175 g)
- 1 1/4 cup certified gluten free oats (115 g)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (165 g)
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup melted butter, dairy or non dairy (170 g) OR softened coconut oil (160 g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease and line an 8x8inch square baking tin. Set aside.
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a blender and blend until mixed well. You can leave the filling chunky for added texture or blend until completely smooth if you prefer. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the oats, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder until combined. Stir in the melted butter (or softened coconut oil) until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
- Spread half of the crust/topping mixture across the bottom of the prepared baking tin. Press firmly into the pan.
- Pour the blended up date mixture over the top of the crust. Smooth out the filling into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble topping over the filling. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the top has goldened. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make it Oat Free: Omit the oats and use a total of 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour .
- Optional Add-Ins: You can get creative adding things in with your filling for added flavour and texture. Chopped walnuts, candied ginger pieces and chocolate chips scattered throughout would all work well in here. Instead of blending add-in in with the filling, mix them in towards the end so they stay intact.
- You can omit the instant coffee and the cocoa powder for a more traditional filling.
Eleanor Werner says
The date squares turned out delicious!
I want to share them next week with friends. Can they be frozen?
Sarah Nevins says
I’m so glad you liked them! You can freeze these – I recommend you make sure they are full cooled down before storing & freezing. Let them thaw at room temp. They’ll be softer coming out of the freezer, but you can always try reheating them in the oven again at 350 for about 10 minutes to crisp the top and bottom up a bit if you want.
Andrea says
Hi Sarah,
My daughter is gf for a few months now, and I have not been successful with gf baking. I bake often, I’ve realized that regular recipes do not easily convert to gf. I have tried chicken pea flour, almond flour, and Bob’s 1:1 flour. What types/brand of gf flour would you recommend? I’m in Canada.
Thank you so much!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Andrea! I know what you mean – often times recipes need a bit more adapting to make them work when converting from wheat based flour to gluten free flour.
In general, it’s good to replace a standard gluten based all-purpose flour with a basic all-purpose gluten free flour blend. I also find it useful to add a small amount of xanthan gum, even if the gf flour blend already has xanthan or a similar binding agent. As a general rule of thumb, you want to add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum for every cup of flour you use.
This will usually work well enough for things like cookies, muffins, bars, quick-breads, etc. When it comes to baking bread, pastry or anything yeast-based I recommend finding a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to convert a non-gluten free one.
I don’t usually recommend using single ingredient flours (like chickpea or almond) in place of regular gluten/wheat flour unless you combine it with other flours and/or make other ingredient adjustments. And then at that point, it’s best to just find a recipe that is already designed to use those types of flours. This is because they are all structurally very unique which means that they will impact each recipe in different ways. Almond flour might be better suited for recipes that need more fat or moisture while chickpea flour might be better in pancakes/fritters or foods that need binding so they don’t fall apart. You also need to consider the flavor. Chickpea flour is best in savory things unless you’re only using a very small amount.
I live in the UK and usually use Be Freee plain gluten free flour just because that’s the easiest for me to buy in store. Cup4Cup multipurpose gluten free flour is excellent, but very expensive. I also really do like Bob’s 1:1 gluten free flour – just make sure it’s *not* Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free flour. The main ingredient in that blend is chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour) and the taste is way too overwhelming in my opinion.
I hope this helps, but please do let me know if you need any more suggestions or explanations!
Deanna Madrigal says
I would tweak the recipe a bit. Little less sugar in the flour batter, little less oats and more flour. Overall I liked it and will make it again.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Deanna, so glad you enjoyed the bars! And that’s totally fair – baking it more enjoyable when you’re able to play around and adapt it to better suite your own personal preferences 🙂
Paul says
Hi Sarah
I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’m new to gluten free baking. I don’t have any issues with gluten but my partner does. I added orange zest, vanilla extract and chopped walnuts to the date filling. These bars were absolutely delicious!
The oat crumble topping was crispy, buttery and had just the right amount of sweetness. I’ll be making these again! Thank you. I’m looking forward to to trying more of your recipes.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Paul! I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed these so much! I love the sound of added orange zest and walnuts too by the way – I’m sure they made the bars even better.
Thank you so much for letting me know how it went! I hope you enjoy everything else you try just as much 🙂