These are my all-time favorite bars; I just love dates and nuts together. These bars have a crumbly texture with a creamy date center enhanced by raspberry juice.

　　

Ingredients

makes 16 (2-inch) squares

　　

FILLING

2 cups pitted dates, chopped

　　1 cup raisins

　　2 teaspoons vanilla extract

　　1 1/4 cups raspberry or berry-blend 100 percent fruit juice

　　

CRUST AND TOPPING

2 cups walnuts

　　1/2 cup oat flour

　　1/2 cup barley flour

　　2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

　　1/3 cup light agave nectar

　　1/4 cup canola oil

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan with canola oil spray.

　　

Step 2

To make the filling, place the dates, raisins, vanilla extract, and juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the dates have formed a purée. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

Grind 1 cup of the walnuts in a food processor until fine. Chop the remaining walnuts by hand until medium coarse. Place all the walnuts in a bowl. Add the oat flour, barley flour, and cinnamon. Mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together the agave nectar and canola oil. Pour over the flour mixture and combine with a fork or your fingers, until crumbly.

　　

Step 4

Sprinkle slightly more than one half of the crumb mixture into the prepared baking dish. Pat down evenly to form the bottom crust. Spread the date purée over the crumb mixture and top with the remaining crumb mixture. Press down lightly. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.