1 cup seeded and chopped dates
1/2 cup water
1 tsp grated orange rind, optional
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg white
Preheat oven to 350°. Bring dates and water to boil in a small saucepan. Simmer, uncovered until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add orange zest if you are using it.
In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt; stir in melted butter and egg white. Add a tablespoon of water if needed to hold the mixture together.
Press half of the crust into an 8″ square baking pan coated with butter. Pack it down well, then spread with the date mixture; top with remaining oat mixture and press carefully.
Bake until lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
2021 Original recipe does not include orange zest.
Sept 2021 update:
For a 9×9 pan, I used the same amount of filling (ample for an 8×8 pan), and used 1.25x the quantity of crumb mixture.
1 7/8 cups quick oats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
scant 7/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
7 tbsp butter
1 egg white
I also added 1 tsp grated ginger root. Possibly add 1 tsp lemon juice?
It is easy to spread the filling by using a thin offset metal spatula.