Date Nut Loaf

One pound dates
One and a half cups brown sugar
One cup walnuts
Three quarters cup butter
One cup boiling water
One teaspoon baking soda
Two eggs, well beaten
One teaspoon rum flavouring
One and three quarter cups flour
One teaspoon baking powder

Mix all the ingredients. Put into pan and bake for one hour at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Taken from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipe's.

A delicious, and relatively healthy snack (well, in comparison to other baked goods). Date loaf is sweet, although not overly so, and is divine eaten alongside a cup of coffee. And here is the great news... it's simple to make!

• 1 Cup of chopped seedless dates
• 2 Tablespoons of butter/margarine
• 1 Cup of brown sugar
• 1 Cup of water
• 1/2 Teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 Cup of chopped walnuts
• 2 Cups of sifted self-raising flour

Pre-heat oven to 190C. Grease, or line with baking paper a loaf tin, or similar baking dish. Combine the dates, butter, sugar and water in a pan. Stir over low heat until the butter and sugar have dissolved. Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Stir baking soda, cinnamon, egg, walnuts and flour into the mixture. Once the mixture is even, fill the prepared tin. Bake in oven for 40 minutes, or until cooked. Test with a toothpick, or metal skewer. Remove from oven. Leave for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out onto wire rack to cool.

Serve sliced, either plain, or spread with butter. Enjoy!

You may want to experiment with replacing the walnuts with other nuts. Pecan, almond, macadamia... I guess its up to your own personal taste. I think walnuts work the best! ;)