In this post:

Recipe of Oat and Date Pie with festive decoration
List of Ingredients
Instruction
Tahini
Medjool Dates
If Tahini is Thick or Hardened from Separation: three options to make tahini runny
How These Photos Were Made

This Oatmeal and Date Pie is free of sugar, eggs, gluten, nuts, and dairy. However, that’s not why this example of healthy eating has made it onto my blog. The aroma and incomparable taste inspired me to adapt this Middle Eastern recipe and infuse it with a festive spirit.

The texture of the pie is very reminiscent of classic crumbles with their shortbread base. But don’t let that fool you: the taste of date pie is completely different! The dough is rich in aromas and flavors, the delicate date layer… If you close your eyes, you might think you’re eating date halva, only much more delicate.

I hope I’ve managed to intrigue you. Let’s go to the kitchen!

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Oatmeal and Date Pie with Festive Decoration

dish 15×15 cm

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Ingredients

Ingredients for Dough

120 g oat flour (gluten-free if necessary)
100 g whole oat flakes (gluten-free if necessary)
300 g runny tahini (see my comment below)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
a pinch of salt

Ingredients fo Filling

250 g Medjool dates
100 g water
a pinch of salt

Equipment

Metal smooth cookie cutters without small details
Whisk
Scale

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 185 °C.

Making Dough

2. In a bowl mix well oat flour, oat flakes, baking powder, a pin h of salt and spices. Use a whisk at this stage to ensure an even mixture.

3. Pour the tahini into the oat mixture and stir with a spoon until a smooth, grainy mixture forms.

Making Filling

4. Remove the pits from the dates and chop them finely.

5. Place the dates and a pinch of salt in a saucepan, add water and simmer over medium heat until the dates are soft and can be mashed with a spoon into a smooth paste.

6. Mash the dates with a spoon until you get a smooth paste.

Assembling the Pie

7. Prepare a baking dish by lining it with parchment paper or grease the dish with oil and sprinkle with a little oat flour. I use an adjustable baking frame lined with parchment paper. The cake is thick, so there won’t be any spillage. Once the pie has cooled, I can remove the metal frame and serve the pie: the pie will be dense and will definitely retain its shape.

8. Place 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the dish.

9. Place metal cookie cutters on top of the date layer. Place the cutters s at least 1 cm apart. Spoon the remaining 1/3 of the dough between the cutters. Pack tightly, leaving no gaps between the cutters and the dough. the teaspoon handle works fine at this stage. This will create a beautiful pattern on top of the pie. Do not remove the cutters!

10. Bake the pie for 30 minutes.

11. Remove cutters carefully

then cool the pie completely before slicing. Store the pie in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Tahini

Tahini is a thick, creamy paste made from ground, toasted sesame seeds, similar in texture to natural peanut butter but with a more savory flavor. It is a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, used as a dip (like in hummus), a spread, or a key ingredient in sauces and other savory and sweet dishes.

In this recipe you need runny tahini. This means that the tahini should flow freely off the spoon.

I try to buy store-bought tahini jars with a plastic strip sealing the lid. This helps keep the tahini liquid in the jar.

If Tahini is Thick or Hardened from Separation

In this case you have 3 options.

1. Stir the tahini vigorously right in the jar to re-combine it into a smooth, uniform mass.
2. If the tahini is too thick, create a double boiler: place the bowl of tahini over a pan of simmering water. Stir the tahini until it becomes smooth. Add vegetable oil if needed.
3. Place the tahini in a blender and blend vigorously. As in the previous step, add vegetable oil if needed.

Medjool Dates

Medjool dates differ from other varieties by their caramel flavor and very large fruit size, which remains quite soft even after drying. This is the most suitable variety of dates for the Oatmeal and Date Pie recipe.

How These Photos Were Made

My Agatha The Grey Cat absolutely adores the post-processing phase of making photos and always joins me at this stage. She’ll either turn on a mask or adjust the brush size. Good company is always a good thing, isn’t it.