These raspberry date bars are soft, chewy and a little wholesome. They taste like homemade fig newtons, with a sweet date and raspberry filling tucked inside tender dough.
The filling is just dates and raspberries, puréed until jammy. Soaking the dates first helps them blend smooth. The whole wheat dough stays soft and folds over the filling, fig-newton style.
They make a great lunchbox treat or a better-for-you snack. If you like a fruity, old fashioned cookie, try my hermit cookies or blueberry bran muffins.
Raspberry Date Bars Ingredients
You need two simple parts here: a jammy fruit filling and a soft cookie dough.
For the Date and Raspberry Filling
- Dates: pitted and chopped, then soaked and puréed into a date paste.
- Raspberries: fresh or thawed, blended right in with the dates.
For the Dough
- Butter and sugar: creamed together for a soft, tender cookie.
- Egg and vanilla: bind the dough and add warm flavor.
- Whole wheat flour: gives a wholesome, lightly nutty base.
- Salt: a little, to balance the sweetness.
Full recipe quantities listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the article.
Variations and Substitutions
These date bars are easy to change up with what you have.
- Other fruit: swap blackberries or chopped strawberries for the raspberries.
- All dates: skip the berries for a classic date bar filling.
- White flour: use all-purpose for a lighter, more tender cookie.
- Add spice: a little cinnamon warms up the filling.
- Medjool dates: use soft medjool dates for an extra-jammy filling.
Grab These Tools
A few tools make the fig-newton folding much easier.
- Stand mixer: to cream the butter and sugar.
- Food processor or blender: to purée the date and raspberry filling.
- Parchment paper: to roll and fold the dough without sticking.
- Bench scraper: to fold the dough neatly over the filling.
How to Make Raspberry Date Bars: An Easy Guide
The dough chills while you make the filling, so the timing works out neatly.
Make the Dough
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and salt, then the whole wheat flour. Chill the dough between parchment sheets for 20 minutes.
Make the Filling
Soak the chopped dates in boiling water to soften, then drain them well. Purée the dates with the raspberries into a thick, jammy filling.
Roll and Fill
Roll each dough half into a rectangle between the parchment. Spoon the filling along each strip, leaving a small border at the edge.
Fold and Slice
Fold the dough up and over the filling to enclose it. Slice the long strips crosswise into bars. This recipe makes about 32.
Bake
Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Let the bars cool on a wire rack before serving.
5 Common Mistakes When Making Raspberry Date Bars
Here are the most frequent mix-ups to avoid when making raspberry date bars:
- Skipping the soak: soaking softens the dates so they purée smooth.
- Working with warm dough: chill it, or it gets sticky and hard to fold.
- Overfilling: too much filling leaks out, so leave a small border.
- Watery raspberries: drain thawed berries so the filling is not runny.
- Overbaking: pull them at golden brown, or the cookie turns dry.
Make Ahead and Storage
These bars keep well, which makes them a handy snack to have on hand.
Storing
- Room temperature: keep in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.
- Fridge: they keep up to a week, chilled and covered.
Freezing
- Freeze baked: store cooled bars in a freezer bag up to 3 months.
- Thaw: let them come to room temperature before serving.
Making Them Ahead
- Prep early: make the dough and filling a day ahead.
- Assemble later: fill, fold and bake when you are ready.
How to Serve These Raspberry Date Bars
These are an easy, everyday treat that works for a lot of moments.
Ways to Enjoy Them
- With coffee or tea: the chewy filling is lovely with a warm drink.
- In a lunchbox: they travel well and hold up all day.
- As a snack: whole wheat and fruit make them a feel-good bite.
- Dusted with sugar: a little powdered sugar dresses them up.
More Treats to Bake
Set these out with my cherry muffins for a fruity spread, or some fudgy brownie cookies. For allergy-friendly guests, add a few gluten-free dairy-free desserts.
How to Make the Best Raspberry Date Bars: Final Notes + Secrets
A few small things make these bars soft, neat and full of flavor.
- Soak for smoothness: well-soaked dates blend into a silky paste.
- Do not skip chilling: cold dough folds cleanly over the filling.
- Whole wheat works: it adds a nutty flavor that suits the dates.
- Cracks are fine: a little cracked dough looks rustic, not ruined.
- Better the next day: the bars soften and the flavor deepens overnight.
FAQs About Raspberry Date Bars
Just skimming through? Here are some quick answers to the commonly-asked questions.
Raspberry date bars are soft cookie bars with a jammy date and raspberry filling. The dough wraps around the filling, fig-newton style, then bakes until golden. They are sweet but a little wholesome, thanks to the dates, fruit and whole wheat flour.
Yes, these date bars are made just like homemade fig newtons. Soft dough folds over a fruit filling and bakes into a chewy bar. The difference is the filling, which uses dates and raspberries here instead of the usual figs.
Yes, medjool dates work beautifully. They are soft and sweet, so they purée into an extra-jammy date paste. Any pitted dates work, but firmer ones may need a longer soak in boiling water to soften before you blend them.
No, you can use all-purpose flour instead. Whole wheat adds a nutty flavor and a little more structure. All-purpose gives a lighter, more tender cookie. You can also use half of each for a middle-ground texture and taste.
Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. They keep up to a week in the fridge. For longer storage, freeze the baked bars up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature before serving.
Yes, these bars are easy to make ahead. You can prepare the dough and the filling a day in advance and keep them chilled. Then roll, fill, fold and bake when you are ready. The baked bars also freeze very well.
A runny filling usually comes from extra water. Drain the soaked dates well, and drain thawed raspberries before blending. If it still seems loose, chill the filling briefly so it firms up and is easier to spoon onto the dough.
They are a more wholesome treat than most cookies. They use whole wheat flour and a fruit-sweetened date filling, with no oats or heavy crust. They still contain butter and sugar, so they are a sweet snack, just a feel-good one in moderation.
Other Cookies and Bars You’ll Love
- Old Fashioned Hermit Cookies
- Moist Blueberry Bran Muffins
- Cherry Muffins
- Brownie Cookies
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Desserts
- Valentine’s Day Desserts
Whole Wheat Raspberry-Date Bars (Homemade Fig Newtons)
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pitted dates packed
- boiling water to cover
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup raspberries thawed, if from frozen
Instructions
- Place the dates in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water; set aside to soak.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually incorporate the flour; beat until fully combined.
- Divide the dough between two floured parchment sheets at least 14 inches long; refrigerate 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Drain the dates in a fine sieve, then purée in a food processor or blender with the raspberries to make the filling.
- Remove the first half of the dough and roll between the parchment sheets into a 12×6-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to score the dough in half both lengthwise and crosswise. Set aside and repeat with the second half.
- Use a small spoon to divide the filling along the inner edge of each long strip of dough, leaving about a 1/4-inch border. Use a floured bench scraper or metal spatula to fold the dough over the filling. (If the filling is too soft to handle, chill it briefly; if the dough cracks, that’s okay.) Repeat with the second half. Slice evenly crosswise to make a double strip of bars — the two batches yield 32 bars total.
- Slide the first double strip of bars, parchment and all, onto a rimless baking sheet and bake about 20 minutes, until golden on the bottom and firmed up on top. Repeat with the second batch (or bake both at once, rotating the sheets between racks halfway through). Transfer to wire racks to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
