Who doesn’t love a great “traybake,” as they say on The Great British Baking Show? These chewy silan squares take inspiration from classic pecan pie, but using silan—date honey—in place of Karo syrup adds rich notes of caramel, citrus, and coffee to a simple recipe. The mix of whole wheat and white flours produces a robust, yet tender, crust that stands up to the strong flavors of the nuts and silan. These treats taste better the day after they’re baked and keep well for several days, making them conveniently do-ahead. I’ve used pecans and walnuts here. Stay tuned for more variations on these silan squares.
You can use homemade silan for this recipe or good quality store-bought (look for those that do not contain added sugar). Date syrup is available at Middle Eastern groceries, some supermarkets, and online.
Makes 16 (2-inch) silan squares
1 cup walnuts or pecans
For the crust:
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into ¼- to ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ tsp salt
For the filling:
½ cup homemade or good-quality store-bought silan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on sheet pan and toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Make the crust. In a mixing bowl, toss together the flours, sugar, salt, and butter. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, crumble the ingredients together to the texture of coarse cornmeal. Pour mixture into 8-inch-square pan and gently press evenly over bottom and partway up the sides of the pan, giving extra attention to where the bottom meets the side of pan to keep thickness even. Bake until light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and gently smooth the crust with the back of a soup spoon to seal any cracks, pushing gently along sides if crust has slumped during baking.
While the crust is baking, prepare filling. Place silan, butter, water, lemon, and pinch of salt into heatproof or microwavable bowl (I like to use a 1-qt glass liquid measuring cup). Heat in microwave just until butter melts, 30 to 45 seconds, or in a pot of simmering water just until butter melts. Stir to blend.
Chop nuts and stir them and any “nut dust” into silan mixture. Pour filling evenly over crust. Return pan to oven and bake until edges of crust are golden brown and filling is bubbling and thickened, about 20 minutes. Filling will continue to set as it cools. Cool several hours or overnight before cutting into squares. Store covered at room temperature up to four days and refrigerate up to six.
© 2017, Amelia Saltsman
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