Date and Oat Slice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to do with dried dates? ›

Dates are, in a word, delicious. The Coachella Valley is famous for its Date Shakes, and they are also used to make date sugar which can be used as an alternative to other sugars. Dates can also be baked into cookies, bars and breads. Because dates are sticky, they are ideal as a binder for energy balls and snack bars.

Date Squares recipes first started appearing in bakeries and in brand-sponsored cookbooks like the Purity Cookbook and the Five Roses flour cookbook as early as the 1920s, but rose in popularity in the 1930s, particularly in the prairie provinces where the dessert is known as Matrimonial Cake.

Fill your blender or food processor up to half-way with oats. Keep in mind that one cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats yields about one cup flour, whereas one cup steel-cut oats yields about two cups flour. Blend until the oats have turned into a fine flour, about 20 seconds to 1 minute.

2) Pour the water over the dates and microwave on high for 1 minute. 3) Remove and mash with a fork. Repeat step 2 until you get a caramel-like ooey, gooey, yummy paste! 4) Of course, using a food processor to smooth it out even more is a bonus… but not absolutely necessary!

Dates provide a laxative effect that can help deal with constipation and other digestive issues. Constipation is a common health issue. This can occur due to various reasons, such as not drinking enough water, not eating enough fruits and vegetables or not being physically active.

If you enjoy the natural chewiness of dates, eating them without soaking is perfectly fine as well. Soaking dates before eating is optional. Some people prefer to soak them to soften the texture, while others enjoy the natural chewiness. It's a matter of personal preference.

Dates white dots on them…

Dates will sometimes form sugar crystals under or on top of their skin. It simply means that the dates are maturing. You will want to either consume them soon or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

These spots may appear to be crystallized sugar, but in reality, they are a natural occurrence and not a sign of spoilage. The white spots that may appear on Medjool dates, particularly Madinah Medjools, are actually caused by a harmless yeast called Candida magnoliae.

That is not mold - it's simply the sugars from the date that have crystallized.

Plus, making your own flour is actually a lot more cost effective: a whole bag of organic oats is even fairly cheap, and you're not even using the whole bag, but several cups of oats.

Is oat flour just shredded oats? ›

Oat flour is made by grinding oats into a fine powder. Rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned oats, are made by steaming and rolling whole oat groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel). Rolled oats are thicker and have a chewier texture than oat flour, which is more fine and powdery in texture.

Oat flour is a whole grain flour made by grinding oats into a fine powder. It's naturally gluten free and packed with nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, thiamine, phosphorus and zinc. It's higher fibre and protein content not only helps with the structure of baked goods, but also makes them more satiating too.

You can add this to your cooking, baking, or even your morning coffee or yogurt! When substituting granulated sugar for Date Paste use a 1:1 ratio where for every 1 cup of sugar use 1 cup of Date Paste instead.

Medjool dates can help you increase the potassium in your diet, supporting these nervous system functions. The B vitamins in Medjool dates, such as pantothenic acid, folate, and niacin, help manage the metabolic processes that convert food to energy. Research shows this can help fight tiredness and fatigue.

If your dates are exceptionally dry or if you don't have a high powered blender, soaking them for 30 minutes to an hour in warm water before blending can make things much easier on your blender and lead to a smoother finished product.

Dates should be kept in an air-tight container and can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated up to 6 months, and frozen for up to 1 year. If purchasing dates in bulk meets your personal needs, you may opt to refrigerate or freeze any excess dates.

Rehydrate the fruits: Dried fruits can be quite hard and dry, so it's often a good idea to rehydrate them before adding them to your baked goods. To do this, simply soak the dried fruits in warm water or fruit juice for 15-20 minutes until they are plump and tender.

How many dates should I eat in a day? According to Sedivy, a serving of dates is about one-quarter cup. However, "if you're worried about the sugar amount, I recommend eating two to three large dates to reap all the health benefits associated with them," she says.