Nanaimo Bars

Originally published on May 20, 2014

One of my Twitter followers has asked me to post a Canadian recipe, and there are two that I always think of first – butter tarts, and Nanaimo bars. Since I’ve already posted the butter tarts, I thought I’d go with the latter – the scrumptious dessert that originated in Nanaimo, British Columbia. I usually make both desserts for Canada Day, and was going to wait until then to post this Canadiana treat, but no one minds if we eat them a little early this year, do they?

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs 
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut 
1/3 cup walnut halves, finely chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted 
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons custard powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk 

For the topping:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped 
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1.) First, make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8″ by 8″ cake pan with parchment paper.

2.) In a bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, coconut, walnuts, cocoa powder, and sugar. Drizzle with butter and egg; stir until combined.

3.) Press crumb mixture into the prepared cake pan and place in oven for about 10 minutes, until firm. Let cool on a rack while still in the pan.

4.) Next, make the filling. In a bowl, beat together the butter, custard powder, and vanilla. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, alternating with the milk until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread after all the icing sugar and milk is added, gradually add up to 1 tablespoon more milk. Spread over the cooled crust, then place in the refrigerator to let it firm up, about one hour.

5.) Then make the topping. In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, place chocolate and butter together. Stir to combine and fully melt both ingredients, then spread over filling. Refrigerate until the mixture is just about set, about 30 minutes, before cutting into bars with the tip of a knife.