The Family Table: An Encore for Gramma Dietz

Readers share their treasured recipes

These date bars were the stuff of legend in author Rona Simmons's childhood home. (Rona Simmons)

Submitted by Rona Simmons, Georgia

Apparently, my grandmother Dietz’s recipe for Mollie’s Raw Apple Cake in the Dec. 14, 2022, issue of The Epoch Times struck a nerve, or maybe a sweet tooth. In response to several requests for her recipe for date bars (mentioned in the article), I’m delighted to share that recipe here. It’s a holiday favorite and tradition in my family but good any time of the year.

The author’s grandmother, Christine Alvina Schisler Dietz, on her honeymoon, circa 1920. (Courtesy of Rona Simmons)

Gramma Dietz’s Date Bars

From Christine Alvina Schisler Dietz

Makes 16 small servings

• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 cup pecans or walnuts
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat the egg yolks until thick. Then add the milk, vanilla, and sugar, mixing thoroughly after each.

Chop the dates and nuts in halves or quarters and add to the egg yolk mix.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff.

Add both the flour and the egg whites to the liquid mixture and fold together.

Fill a square baking pan with the dough and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or just until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake.

Remove from the oven and let cool, then dust (heavily) with powdered sugar.

Cut into 2-inch square bars.

Note: For a gooier and crunchier version, double the dates and nuts.

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Do you have a treasured family recipe that holds a special place in your family history, heritage, or traditions? We would be honored if you would share it with us.

Along with the recipe, tell us its story—who gave it to you, its journey through the generations, and the personal meanings and memories it carries. Is it a special-occasion dish, or an everyday family favorite? Does it connect you to your cultural heritage or to a certain loved one?

How have you kept the recipe alive, and why is it important to you to do so?

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