Newfoundland Date Crumbles

Newfoundland Date Crumbles (or Date Squares). A recipe every local family knows and loves. The secret is having the right proportion of butter in the crumble and this recipe gets it just right.

The Best Newfoundland Date Crumbles

Not just Nanny Hynes’ favourite square, another universal Newfoundland treat common to almost every family cookbook is Newfoundland Date Crumbles.

There are many recipes out there for these popular squares but this is the best recipe I have ever used.

Date Crumbles was one of the first recipes ever posted on Rock Recipes back in 2007

The secret to a good crumble is the proper amount of butter in the recipe. Many recipes use too little, resulting in a dry end product where the crumble doesn’t hold together properly.

I’ve seen them so dry you could blow the crumble like dust off the top of the square. Not my idea of a great crumble.

The Best Newfoundland Date Crumbles

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The Best Newfoundland Date Crumbles

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Yield: 36 cookie squares

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Newfoundland Date Squares or Date Crumbles is a recipe every local family knows and loves. The secret is having the right proportion of butter in the crumble and this recipe gets it just right.

Ingredients

For the filling

18 ounces dates, chopped (about 4 cups) See note below.
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups boiling water

For the crumble

2 cups rolled oats, large(not quick oats)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut, fine or medium cut
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups butter, cut in small cubes

Instructions

For the filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper if you want.
As noted in the recipe description, some people prefer these date squares with less filling so you can reduce the amounts in the filling by 1/4, 1/3 or even 1/2 if you prefer.
In a medium saucepan combine and gently simmer until thickened (about 10-15 minutes).
The filling should be very thick; you will need to watch it carefully and stir constantly in the last few minutes of cooking time.
Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the crumble mixture.

To prepare the crumble

In a large bowl, toss together the rolled oats, baking powder, coconut, flour and brown sugar.
Using your hands, rub the butter thoroughly through the dry ingredients.
Divide crumble mixture in half and press half into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
Spread date mixture over the base.
Top with remaining crumb mixture, pressing it together in clumps in your hands and then breaking it into small pieces with your fingers to scatter evenly over the date filling.
Press down lightly.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
This is a very good basic recipe but I have also had very good variations of date crumbles over the years.
Orange Date Crumbles: Substitute orange juice for the water in the filling and add the zest of a medium orange.
Cocoa Date Crumbles: Add 4 tbsp cocoa to the filling.
Hazelnut or Almond Date Crumbles: Prepare filling as usual. Add ½ cup ground Almonds or Hazelnuts plus 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp nutmeg to the crumble.

Notes

UPDATE: I do sometimes make the crumble in a food processor just to speed up the preparation time. However, I do not add the oatmeal to the processor. I take a minute or two to rub it trough the other ingredients once they come out of the food processor. This keeps the whole oats intact.