Matrimonial Slice
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450g/1 pound pitted dates, roughly chopped
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1/3 cup white sugar
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1 cup water
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1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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3.5 cups oats
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1.5 cups plain all purpose flour
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330g/11.6ozs butter
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1 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
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1.5 teaspoons baking powder
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 175C/375F. Line a 20x20cm square baking tin with parchment. First brown the butter (you can skip this step if you want and use softened regular butter but I like the nutty aroma of browned butter). Heat a small saucepan until medium hot and add butter, it will foam up and become very quickly browned. Cool.
Step 2 - Place the dates, sugar, water, lemon juice and zest and vanilla in another saucepan and simmer until soft-about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool (you don't have to wait until it completely cools though).
Step 3 - In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a beater attachment, place the oats, flour, butter, brown sugar and baking powder and mix until you get a cohesive mixture that can hold together in clumps. Divide this in two and press one half into the prepared tin smoothing it out so that it is even. Then spread over with the date mixture-I use an angled spatula to smooth it out. Then place the rest of the oatmeal mixture on top of this patting gently but firmly to press the layers together.
Step 4 - Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin and then cut into squares.