Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1 package (8 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Crust:
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
2. To make filling: In a small or medium saucepan, mix together chopped dates, brown sugar, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until filling thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in nuts. Cool.
3. While filling cools, prepare crust. Put oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir ingredients together. Blend in   butter. Press half of the crust mixture over bottom of prepared pan. Spread cooled filling over the crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over top of the date filling. Press gently with the tips of your fingers so that the crumbs adhere slightly to the filling.
4. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes. Cool bars in the pan for 10 minutes, then score into bars with a sharp knife. Continue cooling in pan.