BARS:
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup chopped dates
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
⅓ teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts and pecans
LEMON GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 × 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Set aside.
For the bars, in a medium bowl combine the lemon juice and persimmon pulp. Stir in the baking soda and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg, and then stir in the sugar, oil, and dates.
In a small bowl combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the persimmon mixture. Stir in the nuts until evenly mixed.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.
For the lemon glaze, in a small bowl combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the bars and cut into individual servings.
Makes 12 to 15 servings
Patricia Hauenstein, Queen Mum Chickadee
Red Feather Dusters of Amboy,
Amboy, Illinois