Calypso Bars

A chocolate date bar. My childhood memories of holidays included these bars from my mother’s friend Bernie. Wonderfully rich.

Original recipe makes 30 small bars

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups chopped dates
2 1/2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

PREP

20 mins
COOK

35 mins
READY IN

55 mins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8×10-inch baking pan.
Cook and stir dates, chocolate, water, white sugar, and 1/4 cup butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
Beat brown sugar and 3/4 cup butter together in a bowl until creamy. Add oats, flour, walnuts, baking soda, and salt; stir until texture is crumbly.
Press half the oat mixture into bottom of the prepared pan. Evenly spread chocolate-date mixture over oat mixture layer; crumble remaining oat mixture over chocolate-date layer.
Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cut into 30 small squares.