Retro Chocolate Date Nut Squares

I remember the first time I met my future mother-in-law.  Just so sweet. A gracious, gentle lady.  A throwback to yesteryear, Andy Hardy movies, nay, perhaps even ‘Little House on the Prairie’.  All of this is said with total love and respect.  But that first visit, it made me feel so unworthy!! Not that I’m a bad person, at all.  But my humour may be a tad more sarcasm-laden, my filter may need some work, my independent streak may need some harnessing.  So I wasn’t sure what she made of me.  But, all these years later, everything is going fabulously well- I’d like to think she’s more than just resigned that they’re stuck with me! (btw, Jim share’s my love for all things off-the-wall, left-of-centre etc, and can surpass even my sarcastic streak; now the family has two of us oddballs)

Anyway, when we were getting ready to set up house, just before we got married, Lynn, Jim’s mom, presented me with several ‘Company’s Coming’ cookbooks (a Canadian staple in kitchens, especially out in Western Canada) and some recipe cards.  She said to me, “I’ve marked Jim’s favourites throughout the books, and these others are hits with the family.”  I got the hint.  If I was going to make Jim (and Lynn) happy, make sure to learn to make said recipes.

I will admit, some of the recipes and dishes were ones that I had never made, let alone heard of.  And one of them is this recipe.  I had never really cooked with dates before.  I had obviously heard of them.  I’m sure someone brought a snack with dates to school before.  Were they anything like ‘fig newtons’?? (I soon learned the difference!!) Anyway, I kind of hid this recipe at the bottom of the pile, since I couldn’t really relate to it.  But then one evening we were all together visiting with Jim’s folks.  After dinner was over and the dishes were washed, Lynn pulled out a 9×13 pyrex baking pan and began slicing it up into serving sizes.  It looked so dark and mysterious!  The aroma was still lingering, a warm, earthy, sweetness.  I was in anticipation to what the texture would be like.  When I bit into it, I just melted.  It was rich; not too sweet, but sweet; crunchy from walnuts; and gooey from melted chocolate.  And oh so moist!  I asked her what it was.  She just looked at me, “It’s the Date Nut Chocolate Cake recipe I gave you.”  Oh oh…I just gave away the fact that I had not baked it yet.  I’m sure she was now wondering what else I hadn’t cooked.  Was I even feeding Jim at all!??  Well, after that first bite, I vowed to make it, if not for Jim, then for myself!  

Yes, I’ve called it Squares here.  But you can easily cut it up larger and present it as cake.  It isn’t really so much the traditional bar, with the typical layers of crust, gooey centre and crumbly or chewy topping.  But there is a lovely topping that is created during the baking process that captures much of the nuts and chocolate combo.  So go ahead and call it what you want.  Just call it.  And bake it.  And isn’t the original recipe card Lynn gave me wonderfully foreshadowing!? It has a Lemon on it.  I like lemons… duh.

Love Jen