Date Nut Bar

 We have family visiting from out of state (COVID-tested and cleared) and so we decided to visit a local state park for a picnic and walk with them. I made these date nut bars to contribute to the luncheon. Oddly, there are no nuts in the recipe whatsoever, altho I suppose you could always add some.

It has a shortbread-type base and a meringue topping (altho we packed the bars before they cooled properly, which ruined the pretty meringue, but it was still tasty).  My husband loves dates, so I wanted to make a pre-birthday snack for us all to enjoy on the picnic. 

The recipe calls for chopped dates. I think that if I use the recipe again, I'll opt for a date spread instead, to make sure you get dates in every bite. Either that or put in more chopped dates! Also, I did not find the meringue directions especially helpful. If you have your own tried-and-true method for stiff peaks, I say stick with what you know. That being said, the outcome was that the date-lover among us enjoyed these bars. 


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