Dessert · Newfoundland

Queen Elizabeth Squares

Dates softened in boiling water, a nutty date cake baked in a 9 by 13, boiled brown sugar icing over the top.

A photo of date bars
Photo: Editor B, CC BY 2.0
Total
55 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
35 min
Serves
24
Oven
350°F / 175°C
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dates
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 tsp baking soda (over the dates)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup nuts
Icing
  • 5 tsp brown sugar
  • 5 tsp butter
  • 5 tsp cream
  • nuts or coconut, to sprinkle
Method
  1. Heat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 by 13 pan.
  2. Pour the boiling water over the dates with 1 tsp soda and leave them to stand.
  3. Beat the brown sugar and butter, add the egg, then the vanilla.
  4. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
  5. Add the dates and their water to the creamed mixture, then add the dry ingredients and the nuts.
  6. Bake 35 minutes at 350.
  7. For the icing, boil the brown sugar, butter and cream for 3 minutes. Spread on the squares and sprinkle with nuts or coconut.

Notes

The icing amounts are written 5 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp butter, 2 tsp cream on her page. The ditto marks under the 5 make it read 5 of each, which is the amount that spreads a 9 by 13.

Her mixing order is written in fragments above and around the title, with arrows. It has been put in order here.

Source: Nan's recipe book

squaresdatesnutscoconutnan's book

wolfeats.ca/recipes/queen-elizabeth-squares/