Date Crumb Pie {#SundaySupper #BakeForACure}

Years ago, when I decided that I wanted to cook and bake...as in, all the time...the first thing I wanted to master was pie making.  I don't think it was a conscious decision, it just sort of became "my thing".  I started by baking pies to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.  I would always make two different kinds.   Apple being my favorite.  Apple with a crumb topping and long, thin slices of Parmesan to eat with it.

Sometimes I would make Pumpkin.  Sometimes I would make Rum-Runner Pecan Pie.  Other times a variation on one of those three - perhaps Upside Down Apple (apple inside, pecan "outside") or Pumpkin-Pecan.  Other times, Chocolate Pecan or Bourbon Sweet Potato.

In summertime, it was Concord Grape, Blueberry, and my most favorite, Cherry Pie.  Spring made me think Lemon Meringue, Strawberry-Rhubarb, or Coconut.  Basically, I'm a pie-anytime kinda girl.  A slice of pie (a la mode, perhaps) and a cup of good coffee is pure comfort to me.

I love giving pies to others, as well.  I love seeing the look on somebody's face when I hand them a homemade pie.   Something you spend so much time lovingly chopping, rolling, and forming definitely says "I Care".  This Date Pie was made for somebody very special this week.

When the world is gray and bleak

Baby don't you cry.

I will give you every bit of love that is in my heart

I will bake it up… into a simple little pie.

Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie

Gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle.

                                                                                   -Adrienne Shelley

Date Crumb Bars (or Date Crumb Pie)

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert vegetarian dates nuts Christmas Thanksgiving pie bars American

Ingredients (16 bars or 8-10 slices)

• 12 oz. pitted dates, coarsely chopped (to equal 2 c. packed)
• 1½ c. water
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ c. whole wheat flour
• ¾ c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• big pinch sea salt
• 1½ c. coarsely chopped walnuts
• ½ c. finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 8 oz. (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature + extra for pan

Instructions

Combine chopped dates and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a slow steady simmer, stirring from time to time, until the dates are very tender and cooked into a thick jam, ~15 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-inch square pan (or a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate) with foil, pressing it in to the sides or edges to conform to the pan, and leaving a bit of an overhang. Butter the foil lightly all over. Set aside.

Stir together the oats, both flours, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Toss in the walnuts and ginger. Add the butter and use your fingertips to work the butter through the mixture until it is very well combined and crumbly.

Press and pack half of the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan (if using a pie dish, bring it up the sides a bit as well). Spread the date filling on top of the bottom crust. Sprinkle the filling evenly with the rest of the crumb mixture. Gently give the topping a little press so that it adheres to the filling.

Slide into preheated oven and bake for ~50 minutes - 1 hour (if using pie pan, check after 40 minutes or so), until edges are beginning to get golden and filling feels "set" when you press it it a little with your finger in the center.

Cool on a wire rack. Gently lift the bars or pie from the pan, using the foil overhang, and cut into bars or wedges. Fantastic with cold milk or hot coffee. Even better with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

slightly adapted from Baking for Friends by Kathleen King

Powered by Recipage

This week, the Sunday Supper Movement is partnering with Chantal Cookware for a special #SundaySupper featuring their new Easy as Pie Dish.  We are not only featuring this Pie Dish, we are encouraging every one of our followers to join us in our #BakeForACure event.

Chantal and the Sunday Supper Movement have come together to encourage everyone to take a couple of hours out of their busy week and bake for someone who has been affected by cancer or someone in the medical profession who makes a difference in the lives of cancer patients.  A small gesture to show someone how much you care can make a difference in their day.

Do you want to participate but wonder what to bake?  The #SundaySupper Team has baked up a few suggestions.

#SundaySupper Contributors provided with an Easy As Pie Dish by Chantal Cookware:

• Pecan Pie by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Nana’s 3LB Deep Dish Apple Pie by I Run For Wine
• Upside-down Apple Pie by Comfy Cuisine
• Coconut Pie by Basic N Delicious
• Italian Chicken Pie by Momma’s Meals
• German Apple Pie by Mrs. Mama Hen
• Funny Cake by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Sweet Potato Pie with Gingersnap Crust by Webicurean
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream by The Meltaways
• Lemon Meringue Pie by The Messy Baker Blog
• Ham and Spinach Quiche by Magnolia Days
• Pink Salmon Quiche by My Catholic Kitchen
• Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel Topping by Juanita’s Cocina
• Grilled Eggplant Moussaka With Greek Yogurt White Sauce by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie by Big Bears Wife
• Pumpkin Maple Pie by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Spiced Pumpkin Pie with a Cinnamon Roll Crust by Daily Dish Recipes
• Pasteis de Nata ~ Portuguese Custard Tart by Family Foodie
• Chocolate Pie by Diabetic Foodie
• Fancified Shepard’s Pie by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Pink Lady Pie by From Fast Food to Fresh Food

Not everybody received a pie dish, but that didn't keep us from gathering around the family table this week. Check out these other fabulous baked good (in...or out of...a pie plate):

• Butterscotch Pudding Triple Chip Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Pie by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Flatbread with Grapes, Gruyere, Rosemary and Red Onions by Shockingly Delicious
• Salted Caramel Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Candy Bar Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mini Quiches by In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Apple Cranberry Slab Pie by Generation Y Foodie
• Gratin of Potatoes, Onions & Leeks by An Appealing Plan
• Garlic rosemary yeast rolls by Gotta Get Baked
• Italian Tomato Tart by She likes ruffles, he likes truffles
• Impossible cheeseburger pie by In the Kitchen with KP
• 10 Grain Muffins by Mangiamo!
• Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie by Mama Mommy Mom
• Date Crumb Pie by girlichef
• Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Doughnuts by What Smells So Good?

Do you want to get your own Easy as Pie Dish?  Chantal is offering 20% OFF of ALL Chantal Pie dishes on their website.  Simply enter discount code: BAKE4CURE upon checkout to receive the discount. The coupon discount code is active October 16, 2012 through October 30, 2012.

The Sunday Supper Team and Chantal Cookware, would be honored to have you join us for this special #BakeForACure event Around the Family Table this week.

Join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper.  We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm (Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your easy go to recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.