Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Make the crust. Place all of the crust ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Use a spatula (or your hands) and mix until combined. Form the dough into a ball and place into the prepared baking pan.
Spread the dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan using a spatula or your hands.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust has slightly browned.
While the crust is baking, make the filling. Place the pitted dates and vanilla into a high powdered food processor. Blend until smooth. Add in one tablespoon of water at a time until the date mixture turns into a paste and is easily spreadable. Add 1/4 cup of pecans and pulse the mixture a few times to break up the pecans. Set aside.
Once the crust is done baking, transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes - do not skip this step. Keep the oven on while the crust cools.
Transfer the date filling to the cooled crust. Use a spatula to carefully spread the filling into an even layer over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans over the filling.
Bake the assembled bars for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool completely before cutting into small bars.