The crumble topping in this recipe is my British Grandma’s creation. Date squares are one of the most comforting desserts I can think of that’s not chocolate!
You can also use this recipe as a topping for apple or peach crumble – just put all the crumble on top of the fruit instead of splitting it up as you do for date squares.
This Grandma love-filled treat fills my heart so much.
Ingredients
Crumble topping
- 3/4 cup vegan butter or margarine
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Date filling
- 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
- 1 cup water
Directions
Prepare the fruit: in a small pot, boil the dates and 1 cup of water together, stirring frequently to break down the dates. Keep it bubbling over medium heat and stirring until the dates make a fairly dry paste.
Then prepare the topping: mix the vegan butter, coconut sugar, flour, oats, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Use your hands to rub it into a well-combined, crumbly texture.
Press a base of the oatmeal mixture (about 2-3 cups) into a greased 8×8″ glass baking dish, then spread the date mixture on top. Cover this with another layer (about 1 1/4 cups) of the topping, sprinkling the crumbs over the top.
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, until the topping is golden around the edges. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting into it, if you can wait! Serve with vanilla ice cream or on its own, for snacks or dessert. ❤️
Inspiration
Today I am reminded of Thich Nhat Hanh’s practice of true love.
According to Thay, true love is made up of 4 elements:
1. Maitri, or lovingkindness. This is a wish to bring love and gentleness to yourself and other beings.
2. Karuna, or compassion. This is an intention to relieve the suffering of yourself and other beings.
3. Mudita, or joy. This is a practice of being happy when other people are happy (rather than feeling resentful or jealous), and doing things to make yourself happy as well.
4. Upeksha, or equanimity. This is the work of letting go, not clinging or being overly attached to any person or thing. Loving with too much attachment or control is not true love.
Being gentle, relieving suffering, being happy, and letting go. That sounds like a wonderful, non-fairy-tale kind of true love that I can aspire to.
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