Chewy Date Bars

A simple and delicious chewy date nut bar made easy with a packaged cake mix.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups chopped dates
2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and brown sugar. Add butter and eggs and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
3. Stir dates and nuts (if using) into batter. Spread into prepared baking pan.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of pan to loosen; cool completely.
5. If desired, dust with powdered sugar before cutting into bars.

Makes 36 bars.

Flavor Variation: Easily give these bars a festive taste of the holidays by adding 2 tablespoons of rum or 1 teaspoon rum extract in Step 2 of the recipe's directions.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/36 of recipe): 184 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 22 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.