Better Homes And Gardens Cookbook 9th Edition Chinese Chews Recipe

Chinese Chews, with their crispy tops and chewy centers, are a very old traditional bar cookie featuring nuts and dates.

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Chinese Chews on a vintage silver tray.

Chinese Chews presented on an antique silver tray. Text overlay for pinning.

Chinese Chews - a very old recipe for a traditionally southern Christmas bar cookie featuring nuts and dates.

We're having a vintage-y kind of Christmas around here! First I made some Graham Cookie Bars, then Haystacks, and now this old, old recipe for Chinese Chews.

I remember my mother and grandmother making Chinese Chews every Christmas when I was a girl. They were and still are a tradition.

I did some searching on the internet for the origin of this recipe and it seems to have first appeared in the early 1900s. However, no one really knows why they're called Chinese Chews. There's nothing particularly Chinese about them.

Maybe back in that time, the dates seemed exotic and anything exotic was perhaps associated with the Far East? I dunno.

What I do know is that these little bar cookies are very delicious. And they're another recipe that has firmly withstood the test of time.

Get a Free Cookbook!

How to Make Chinese Chews

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter an 8x8 pan and set it aside.

Mixing bowl containing flour, sugar, baking powder, dates, salt, and nuts for the recipe.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, dates, salt, and nuts. I used walnuts this time, but I really prefer pecans. They just have a richer taste, in my opinion.

Flour, sugar, baking powder, dates, salt, and nuts with eggs added and stirred into the mixture.

Add the eggs and, using a sturdy wooden spoon, stir until the eggs are incorporated. It takes a little effort :-)

Mixture spread into an 8x8 square baking pan.

Now spread the mixture into the pan you prepared at the beginning.

Finished Chinese Chews cooling in baking pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes and check for doneness. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Finished recipe cut into squares on a cutting board.

Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then turn the whole thing out and cut it into small pieces. You want them to be about 1 to 1 ½ inches square.

Dust with powdered sugar.

More Recipes You May Like

Quick and Easy Fudge
Bacon and Pecan Topped Toffee
Toffee Bars (a.k.a. Redneck Toffee)
Homemade Marshmallows
Pecan Pralines

Chinese Chews presented on an antique silver tray. Text overlay for pinning.

Have you tried this recipe? I'd love for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments section further down.
You can always stay in touch on social media by following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest and Sign Up to Get my Newsletter, too!

Chinese Chews on a vintage silver tray.

▢ ¾ cup flour
▢ 1 cup sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
▢ 1 cup chopped dates
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
▢ 2 eggs
▢ Powdered sugar for dusting

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking, powder, dates, salt, and nuts. Add eggs. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, cut into small squares and dust with powdered sugar.

Ingredients:

If you can't locate chopped dates, buy whole dates and chop them into small pieces.
To use self-rising flour, simply substitute the same amount and omit the baking powder and salt.
In this batch, I used walnuts but I do prefer pecans. They just have a richer taste, in my opinion.

Mixing the batter does require a bit of effort :-) Since there's no other liquid or fat in the recipe, the dough is fairly stiff. You can mix this in a stand mixer or a food processor if you like.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container (a plastic container with a tight fitting lid works best) at room temperature for about a week.
May be frozen in a freezer-safe plastic container for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding confectioner's sugar and serving.

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

Pin Recipe

Lana Stuart is the cook, writer, and founder of Lana's Cooking. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
More About Lana →