Makes: About 1 dozen
Time: About 1 hour
This is an old-fashioned dessert, lightly sweet and super-simple, with a crumbly oat crust sandwiched with a soft fruit center. Dates melt into a chewy, caramel-like filling, but just about any fruit compote is at home here—see the variations for some ideas.
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or line it with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
2. In a saucepan, heat 1 cup water until it simmers. Add the dates and granulated sugar and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
3. Cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together. Stir it into the butter mixture along with the oats (you can also use your hands to combine it gently).
4. Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, then cover with the filling. Sprinkle the remaining crust in an even layer over the top and press it gently into the filling. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned all over. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting. These will keep in an airtight container for no more than 3 days.
PEAR-GINGER BARS For the filling, peel, core, and chop 3 medium pears. Increase the granulated sugar to ¼ cup and melt it in a saucepan with the vanilla and 1 tablespoon butter. When the mixture is golden brown, add the pears and stir for a minute or 2, until they are soft. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
APPLE-CINNAMON BARS Follow the preceding variation, replacing the pears with a sweet variety of apples, adding 1 teaspoon cinnamon at the end and ½ teaspoon ground cloves.
RHUBARB-GINGER BARS Chop 1 pound fresh rhubarb stalks and combine in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, ¾ cup sugar, and ½ cup water. Stir until the sugar dissolves; cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Omit the vanilla.
MANGO BARS Peel, pit, and chop 2 large ripe mangoes. Heat ⅓ cup water as in Step 1, then add the mango and sugar, mashing with your spoon if necessary to break it down further. Cook until thick; juicier mangoes may take a bit longer to reduce. Substitute 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice for the vanilla.
BANANA-NUT BARS A new way to use your overripe bananas: Toast 1 cup walnuts, let cool, and finely chop. In a bowl, mash 2 very ripe bananas with the vanilla; omit the granulated sugar. Spread the banana filling over the bottom crust, then sprinkle the walnuts evenly over them before adding the top crust.
LINZER BARS An old-school European pastry turned into a simpler bar cookie; this is traditionally made with hazelnuts, but you can also use almonds or walnuts: Line the pan with greased parchment paper. Substitute 1 cup nut flour for the oats and proceed with the recipe, using granulated sugar instead of brown and using 1 cup of your favorite jam as filling. If you like, garnish with confectioners’ sugar.