Soak dates in one cup water (I use a mason jar) overnight or for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425F

Add the crust ingredients to a food processor and process for 10-15 seconds. You want a slightly wet dough to form.

Press the crust into parchment lined cake pan ( creating a thin even layer. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Add all filling ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. You may need to scrap the sides and process again.

Pour filling onto chilled crust.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425F. While it is baking make your pecan topping. Rinse out your food processor and quickly dry it. Add pecans and brown sugar to the processor and pulse 4-5 times.

When the 10 minutes is up, add the pecan topping to the top of the pie by sprinkling it evenly across it. Now turn down the heat and bake for 40-60 minutes at 350F. Bake until knife inserted 2 inches from the center comes out clean. Let sit for 10-20 minutes, ideally refrigerate overnight and serve cold.

To make the optional date caramel: drain the water from the dates and add soaked dates plus the half and half to the food processor. Process until smooth. Add to a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle across the bars. Best to do this when the pie is cold!