Assemble ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line 9” square pan with parchment paper.

In saucepan, combine dates, boiling water and orange juice, and brown sugar. Let stand 15 minutes. Over medium-low heat, bring date mixture to a boil and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. If mixture thickens too fast, add a couple of tablespoons of water, one at a time. Remove from heat and add vanilla and almond flavouring. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, soda, salt, and grated orange rind. Cut, or grate, in the cold butter until mixture becomes coarse crumbs.

Press a scant ⅔ of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the cooled date mixture over crumb base. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over date filling.

Bake until crumbs are golden, about 25-30 minutes.

Let cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan and cut into squares.