This Primal Goodie will make your Entenmann's cry

Liz over at Eat The Cookie deserves a standing ovation for this gem. I was hunting for a recipe that would use up the medjool dates I still had from my birthday party and happened upon her Date & Pecan Cinnamon Swirls. Incidentally, there's also over a pound of pecans sitting in my pantry (bless you bulk shopping) so this was a perfect fit.
OMGeee this is a mega-tasty treat! It's simple and divinely delicious. If you're heading to a brunch or just have a hankering for something with a similar flavor profile to coffee cake then PLEASE bake up a batch this weekend. My goal is to slowly pull my family over to the Primal/Paleo lifestyle by tempting them with items like this. After baking it, I left the wonderfulness to cool while J & I sped off to a wedding. When I came home it seems somebody had decided to dive in already :D The whole family loved it, I was ga-ga over the creation myself. Share this with your world, it will one-up anybody's breakfast sweets recipe.
Below is Liz's original recipe with my small adjustments in bold italics

date & pecan cinnamon swirls

-for the base:

1 jar (16 oz) almond butter

1/2 cup honey, or to taste (1/3 cup for my batch)

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

-for the swirls:

4 oz (1/2 block) softened cream cheese

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp vanilla

-for the pecan stir-in:

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pecans, chopped (heaping)

1 cup dates, chopped and pitted (super heaping, rough chopped)

method: preheat oven to 325f. prep a 9×13″ glass baking dish by coating it with oil. (coconut oil)

over low heat, toast cinnamon and pecans until they become fragrant. careful, nuts burn quickly! set aside to cool.

to make the swirl mixture, whip cream cheese, vanilla, and honey together with mixer until creamy and smooth. set aside. (I microwaved the mixture and whipped with a spoon)

now make the base. using hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the almond butter until smooth. add eggs, honey, and vanilla. mix until well combined, but do not over mix or it will make a dense finished product. mix in the baking soda and salt. by hand, stir in nuts and dates.

pour batter into baking dish in an even layer. yes, it’s a little sticky and may be kinda hard to spread out. do your best.

now drop cream cheese over batter by the teaspoonful and use a knife or toothpick to swirl. sprinkle a little brown sugar on top and pop it into the oven. (I omitted the brown sugar)

bake for 35 minutes. let cool for a few hours before cutting. (The traditional toothpick test is not a good indicator of "doneness." My result was still a bit soft in the center but firmed up nicely after cooling. Better to be mindful of the edges and bottom not becoming overcooked.)