Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil, or other light vegetable oil
8 oz dates, pitted, finely chopped, about 1⅓ cups
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree, homemade or canned
1 cup walnuts, chopped, about 4 oz
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more as needed
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, beat the egg. Stir in the sugar, oil and dates.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
Add the egg mixture and the pumpkin puree alternately to the flour mixture, stirring to blend well each time. Stir in the nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.
Bake until well browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, for about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice.
If the glaze seems too thick, add a little more sugar. Spread the glaze over the baked layer.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into bars about 3 inches by 1.5 inches to serve.
