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Food for the Gods

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Food for the Gods or date bar is a very rich and tasty dessert fit for the holidays. I have no idea as to where the name was derived from until I tasted one. The flavor is really heavenly and you can feel a lot of love in it.

Food for The Gods

After reading lots of questions and concerns from our friends about the availability of ingredients and possible replacement or substitutes for not so common ones, I made sure to feature the recipe in its simplest form. The result of this recipe is really good. I’m sure that you will like it.

Sometimes we need to pamper ourselves. Why not make a delicious dessert that you will truly enjoy?

Try this Food for the Gods recipe. Let me know what you think.

Food for The Gods
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Food for the Gods Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Author Vanjo Merano

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour sifted
  • 1 cup butter about 2 sticks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar white, sifted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 pieces raw eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dates chopped
  • 1 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt then mix well.
  • Cream the butter in a separate mixing bowl and add the sugar (white and brown) while continously mixing until texture becomes fluffy.
  • Beat-in the eggs on the mixing bowl with butter and sugar then continue mixing until everything is well distributed.
  • Gradually add the flour-baking soda-baking powder-salt mixture while continously mixing (don't forget to scrape the sides with a silicon spatula).
  • Put-in the dates and walnuts then mix until well distributed.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Grease the baking pan and pour-in the batter.
  • Bake for 10 minutes then pull down the temperature to 300 and continue baking for 35 minutes or until done (you may use the toothpick technique)
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool down
  • Slice and wrap individually if desired.
  • Serve. Share and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 6g

Watch the cooking video:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Hi there!
    This looks yummy! I’ll definitely try this. I’m just wondering if this is something like “butter scotch”? Thanks for sharing your lovely recipes. I’m loving your site!!

    rossy from aussy

    Reply

  4. hi thanks for this recipe, this was my absolute favorite when i was back home, any chance of a recipe for chocolate brownies, chewy chocolate chip cookie and moist chocolate cake, mu hubby’s a bit of a chocolate junkie. thanks a bunch.

    Reply

  5. hm yeah it looks like butter scotch to me… kasi diba yung food for the gods or the fruitcake makes use of wine? hm but anyway, looks very good. i’ve gotta try this soon:)

    Reply

    • exactly.Any alterations or changes you make from the original recipe of the food for the gods doesn’t make it a genuine food for the gods.I CONCUR TO THIS Amira.One may change or lower down the content of the sugar,but to change the whole thing or even the basic ingredient does make a lot of difference.

      Reply

  9. kuya, i cant find baking soda here in our place here in Netherlands..is it ok to prepare this without baking soda? thanks! hope to hear from u..

    Reply

    • sharie, baking soda is a leavening agent. We need to use this for the mixture/dough to rise. If in case this is not available (like in your situation) -- you may use 2 to 3 times more baking powder though it can have an effect on the taste; it is tolerable though.

      Reply

  11. Thank you for the demos on video. I am a big fan. I tried this resipe last night and final product?? TOO SWEET !!! I was disappointed that I could not serve it to my guests tonight. BTW, I re-checked the measurements this morning at this “site” comparing it to my codigo on paper (as a guide while I was baking) and it was copied to perfection. It is Toooooo sweet …

    Thank you for all the other recipes which came out perfect..

    Reply

    • it’s really no surprise if the outcome of your fftg is so sweet,why is it so?it is because of the sugar content in the recipe plus the fact that pitted dates or ripened dates has natural sugar on it’s own,so that makes this pastry so sweet,that is why it highly recommended that you serve this dessert with either hot coffee without sugar/or hot tea also without sugar.I hope this helps in a way…God Bless c”,)

      Reply

      • You may also reduce the sugar in the recipe,by half a cup,but never go less than that,otherwise your mixture once it’s cooked will not hold on too far together or shall I say will not bind and will instead tend to break when you take it out in the pan once you sliced it.Sugar contents in this recipe makes it stick and bind together so as not to break it once you start cutting them to bite pieces.

      • Thanks LOURDES for your recommended reduction of sugar by 1/2 Cup. I have been testing this recipe and in my email to Chef as early as 3/16/2010 (see thread below) I mentioned that I reduced the sugar to quarter of a cup, but was not too happy with it. I have since gone back to the original specs and have had no complaints from my “taste testers” Conclusion: It is a matter of Taste and one needs to adjust. BTW, I have also since modified some of the ingredients and it turned out well.

        Thanks CHEF for providing this forum. It gives me a lot of ideas to vary what I serve to my family very often.

    • Yung Dates is a kind of fruit most popular and abundant in Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia,halos lahat na ata ng Dates sa mundo andito na,but if you’re in Manila lang,you may buy them in Baking Shops like Sweet Craft which is located in Boni Avenue,Mandaluyong(in front of Rizal Technological University)and get the specific one which says IRANIAN SAYER DATES kasi that’s the best so far that one may use for this recipe,okey?I hope I was able to help you with your question.You may use a scissor to cut down the pitted dates into small pieces para makapuno ka ng 1 cup na dates(called for for this recipe)

      Reply

      • If you can’t find baking soda to use for your food for the gods,try to use baking powder instead,because basically both this two ingredients function just the same,just be very careful to follow the measurements so as not to create any bitterness after taste in the outcome of your pastry(food for the gods)

    • One may buy pitted dates on Specialty stores like SweetCraft located along Boni Avenue,Mandaluyong City(in front of Rizal Technological University)near Meralco Office in Mandaluyong also,or you may also buy them at Chocolate Lover shops located in Cubao,Quezon City or in their other branches like in Welcome Rotonda.They come in 1 Kilo or 1/2 Kilo in packaging.My best suggestion would be the Iranian Sayer Dates for this yummy pastry(food for the gods) c”,)

      Reply

  14. Hello Ulit… I am enjoying your information distribution on a lot of related topics, which of course helps me a lot !!!

    I just read the difference between baking soda and baking powder tonight and that is leading me to my next question. Why is baking soda required in Food for the Gods, when I do not see any acidic based ingredient in this recipe?

    BTW, I tested “Food for the Gods” again last week, using reduced white/brown sugar by a quarter cup… it did not come out as good as your original measurements. However, I had this “after taste” of the baking soda [ which does not appeal to me at all]. I used the exact measurement of 1/2 tsp baking soda (new box)… I did not seem to taste it the first time I tried this recipe, because I had an old box of baking soda.

    Reply

    • Hi aurora, I too am learning while blogging. You have a very valid question and I could say (based on our new information) that you can probably use 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead of having half a teaspoon of baking soda and baking powder respectively.

      Hmmm, that is interesting. I guess that the after taste that you are referring to can be the bitter taste of the baking powder that did not react because of the minimal acidic content. I’m not sure why you did not taste it before when you used old baking soda. Maybe that old box that you used is past the best before date?

      You can always test if baking soda is still active if you try to mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of vinegar -- bubbles should form immediately.

      Reply

      • WOW… thanks Chef for your suggestion of 1 tsp baking powder, in place of 1/2 tsp each of the baking soda and baking powder. I will try this during the next round of testing this recipe… I will let you know how it turns out.

        I am sure that the old box of b. soda had passed it’s prime… and thanks for the tip in testing the effectivity of baking soda.

        BTW.. I also had finished reading the article on “Magic Sugar” and had forwarded the article on to my email friends… Thx again

  15. Hi Chef,

    I tried this recipe and found it to be excellent. I did however replace the baking powder and the baking soda by just using self raising flour. It is now a staple recipe that everyone enjoys.

    Salamta mate (pare)

    Reply

  16. ive tried this recipe just this morning.. its yummy but i dint put the dates and wallnut coz i dont have it in our fridge but still i lurve it so much.. =) thanx..

    Reply

    • Hi Dane,you could use a 9x11x2 baking pan to make 36 Bars or Cuts of this yummy pastry(food for the gods)I hope I was able to help you in a way(,”)

      Reply

  18. I enjoy viewing and trying some of the recipes and thank you very much for the video it is really very informative and a very big help. Seeing how it is done is different from just reading it. I would like to request Sir, for a recipe of Butterscotch cake bar. I will appreciate it very much if you include it in the recipes published everyday. Thank you very much and more power, God bless.

    Reply

  19. Hi, thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been aching to make this ever since a lolo at a family friend’s party made this. I think I’m definitely going to be addicted to it!

    Reply

  20. One of my friend gave me this awesome food last christmas and my kids and beloved husband fell in love with it. I ask my friend if she could give me the recipe and she said it would cost me… Haha thanks to you i don’t have to pay her this coming christmas just to eat this delicious recipe. More power

    Reply

  24. Great recipe! My tasters loved them on the two occasions that I prepared them. Your recipe is so easy to follow and your video made it a lot easier. I just have a question.. I used 2 sticks of butter. It turned out too oily for me. Any idea how I can reduce that butter without compromising the taste? More power to you Vanjo!

    Reply

  25. question: I’ve been wanting to ask this for the longest time: f I want to make two trays, do I double the measurement of each ingredient, or make two separate preparations? pls. guide. Thanks.

    Reply

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