When I was growing up my Mom belonged to a benevolent women’s group called The Circle League. They encouraged education for women and gave out scholarships to needy students. They published a cookbook as a fundraiser and this is one of my favorite recipes from that book. It is a dark, rich date ‘n nut bread- perfect to slice and “smear” with cream cheese as we will do this weekend for a tea we are catering in Southbury,CT. I make the loaves in smaller pans so they are tea sandwich size- Enjoy!
Date Nut Bread
1 Lb. chopped dates
4 tsps. baking soda
⅓ Cup butter (the size of a small egg)
2 Cups boiling water
2 Cups sugar
2 Whole eggs well beaten
2 tsps. salt
2 Cups flour- a bit more if batter is thin
2 tsps. vanilla
½ Lb. diced walnuts
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut dates and place in a large bowl. (I do not recommend using sugared pre cut dates- they are too hard.)
- Top the dates with soda and butter. Bring water to a boil and pour over the date mixture and stir well until butter is completely dissolved.
- Add sugar to date mixture and blend. Add beaten eggs, salt and vanilla.
- Add flour and walnuts and mix until blended.
- Pour into 2 well greased and floured loaf pans. Place baking pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for45-50 minutes. For a soft crust- If using smaller pans adjust the cooking time but bake at the same temperature. Let cool and remove from pans.