Pioneer Date Nut Bars

I'm making four batches of Pioneer Date Nut Bars for the Woody Guthrie 100th Birthday Celebration this Saturday (see my Tuesday, July 10, 2012 post).

Why? Because I think they epitomize Woody — Seemingly simple on the outside but complex and extraordinary on the inside.

The recipe comes from "Baked Alaska: Recipes for Sweet Comforts from the North Country," by Sarah Eppenbach. I've tried just about every recipe in the book and love them all.

And truth be told, it's these bars that got me to buy the book in 1997. Sarah was handing out samples at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Washington when my husband and I just happened to stop in. It took one taste and we both knew we needed to buy the book.

These bars come together fast. The most time consuming part of the recipe is chopping the dates and walnuts. After that it's just mixing, spreading the batter in a baking pan and baking.

Pioneer Date Nut Bars
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar, for dusting the bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13 baking pan.

Combine dates and walnuts with the 2 tablespoons of flour and set aside.

Sift the remaining 3/4 cup flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Beat until smooth. Stir in the date mixture and spread the batter in the pan— it will be a thin layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and shrunk slightly from the edges of the pan.

Cut into 2-inch bars while warm, but cool in the pan before removing. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.