My favourite way of doing dates is date squares. There are tons of different recipes for date squares on the net but I like the ones where you cook the dates in a saucepan to create the filling. You use an oat mixture for a bottom crust, smooth the filling over the layer and top with the rest of the mixture and bake.
If you look up a Hermit cookie recipe or even use my Zucchini cookie recipe on QB, cut up dates can be used much like raisins.