Edinburgh Tea Squares

I love collecting OLD recipes.  This one comes from a newspaper clipping dated June 4th, 1976.  I imagine I got it in some recipe book I got at a yardsale somewhere since I was only 2 then.  lol. 

Even though it has dates in it, its actually pretty good.   What's funny is the clipping says… and I quote “…so good you’ll have to hide em from the men folks.”   hahaha.  Welcome to Kentucky y’all!

Filling:

• 1 cup dates
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Pastry:

• 1 cup butter ( I use Land O Lakes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (I use real oats not quick cooking)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What to do:

For the filling: 
(Im going by memory here, because my clipping has fallen apart and all I have is the ingredients list. LOL)   If you didn’t buy the dates that are already pitted, then you need to cut the pits out.  Then simmer them in the water over low  heat until it gets like pastey/gooey. (abt 30 minutes as best I can remember) Set it to the side.  When it starts to cool add the lemon juice.

then you make the pastry stuff:
Its pretty easy, in a big bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  This is easier if your butter is “softened” ie: room temp.  Add to this the flour, rolled oats, and salt.  This mix should make a doughy type ball in your bowl.   Place half the mix in either a high sided cookie sheet or a cake pan and moosh it out flat.  Should only be like 1/4 inch thick.  Then you are going to smear the filling onto it  Kind of like a lasagna and layers. LOL.  So: dough, filling, dough. 

Bake 30 minutes at 325.  And then remove from heat.  I go ahead and carefully cut mine NOW because its easier to cut THROUGH when its hot, but its also easier to tear it up and make it ugly so be careful if you cut now.    I also refrigerate mine because they taste better cold to me.