These shortbread date bars are quick and easy to make and they taste great.  I made them with some date paste but you can use other fillings of your choice including jam or mincemeat (the sweet king used to make mince pies)

You can even use more than on filling if you like I did in the video.  I would not use raisins again because they do not stick to the baked base.  You can try another sticky filling.

This makes a large tray, to feed a crowd, and the amount of pieces you make depends on the size you cut them.

Ingredients

450 grams unsalted butter (softened)

520 grams plain flour

75 grams soft brown sugar

75 grams caster sugar

  1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

date paste for filling

Method

Prepare your Swiss roll tin (about 32cm x 22cm x 2.5cm ) by greasing the tin with butter and then line it with baking paper. Put to one side

Pre-heat oven to 180 Celsius

Put the butter and sugars into a large bowl and whisk together until creamy.

Add the vanilla extract and flour and whisk together until they just come together and crumbly.

Put the whisk to one side and then use your hands to mix this together to form a ball.

Get just over half of the mixture and crumble it on to the base of the cake tin. Spread the filling on top of the shortbread base  until it is covered.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 mins until lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes and then spread some date paste on top.  Buy date paste : https://amzn.to/2QRhq4d (affiliate)

Crumble the rest of the shortbread on top, you do not need to spread it.

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cut into squares while still hot and leave to cool completely.

Break the bars and serve and you can store some in an airtight container for a few days.