I recently came across an intriguing recipe in a 1925 issue of Farm Journal. The recipe was labeled “food for the gods or date crumbles.” What a bold assertion! Could this recipe possibly be that good? I had to find out, so next thing I knew I was making the recipe.
Date Crumbles had a crispy crust, with lot of nuts in the middle. The dates cooked down to create a lovely, sweet date filling on the bottom. I scooped the Date Crumbles out of the pan, and put it in serving glasses (dishes would also work just fine). I served it with whipped cream. I thoroughly enjoyed this dessert.
Here is the original recipe:
It’s fascinating that the old recipe directs cooks to serve it in “tall glasses.” I took this to mean stemware. I envision Farm Journal readers, living in remote rural locations, feeling like they were serving a very elegant dessert when they put the Date Crumbles in stemmed glasses and topped it with whipped cream. After all, they were serving “food for the gods.”
I did not want 16 servings, so I made half of the recipe. That said, I don’t think that half of this recipe would be enough for 8 people, so when I updated the recipe, I indicated that it would make 5 – 7 servings.
I assumed that a “slow oven” meant setting the temperature at 300° F.
As I prepared to bake the date mixture, I considered putting it in a baking dish instead of a pie pan as indicated in the old recipe; but, in the end just used an old 9-inch metal pie pan that I had and that worked well. A baking dish would also work. 
I would not store Date Crumbles in a tin box. When I made this recipe, I ate some of it right away, and covered the remainder in the pan that it was baked in. It also could be stored in a food storage container.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Food for the Gods (Date Crumbles)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I used pecans.)
1/2 cup dates, chopped
whipped cream
Step 1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
Step 2. Put egg, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 3. Stir in the chopped nuts and dates.
Step 4. Put the mixture in a greased pie pan or other baking dish (an 8″ X 8″ dish would work well), and spread it out.
Step 5. Put in oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Step 6. Use a spoon to “crumble” the baked dessert; put into dessert dishes or glasses to serve. May be served hot or cold. Top with whipped cream.
Note: The Date Crumbles can be covered and stored in the pan that it was baked in or it can be “crumbled” and stored in a tightly covered container.
Well, who couldn’t pass on a dish for the gods?
I wasn’t able to pass on this recipe, and ended up making it. 🙂
I wonder if it was hard to find dates in rural areas 100 years ago. Thanks for serving me a slice of history today!
Dried fruits (dates, raisins, figs, currents, etc.) were commonly available a hundred-years-ago throughout the U.S, including in rural areas. There was good rail transportation by this time, so dried fruits could be shipped into most areas. Based on what I see in old cookbooks and magazines, my sense is that dried fruits were more popular a hundred years ago than what they are today. Many fresh fruits were not available during the winter months, and those that were available (such as oranges and grapefruit) often were quite expensive, so people relied more on dried fruits. (Canned fruits also were popular back then.)
My family liked dates at Christmas, but they didn’t figure in John’s family. I should try this, because I’m sure I’d like it. I used to make candy in a roll that was served sliced.
My mother made date nut candy in a roll also! I did not like it as a child, but it might be different now.
It’s very, very sweet. I’ve never eaten anything that was too sweet, though.
I love the complex, earthy sweetness of dates.
I’m surprised how much my food preferences have changed over the years. Some foods that I didn’t like as a child, I really enjoy now; and, some foods that I liked as a child don’t appeal to me now.
If you like dates, you’d enjoy this recipe.
Looks good! Dates always remind me of the holidays, as my mom made wonderful date-filled cookies each year:)
Similarly, I have wonderful memories of lovely date bar cookies on holiday cookie trays when I was a child.
So tasty!
It looks festive in the coupe. My favorite part would be the whipped cream!
Whipped cream makes almost any dessert better.
Serving it in stemware makes it quite fancy.
It did look very elegant. If the original recipe hadn’t recommended serving it in stemmed glasses, I never would have thought of doing that.
Looks very good, Sheryl. I will try it.
I think that you’ll like it. I’m going to be making this recipe again soon. One of my grandsons saw this post, and thought that the Date Crumbles looked wonderful and wants to make it with me when he visits later this week.
Wonderful! Getting to make a recipe with your grandson is a joy of pulling these older recipes out for all of us!
Happy Holidays!