Eating the Americas: Nanaimo Bars

I promised to get this posted during this week, so here it is - the recipe for a very Canadian dessert: Nanaimo Bars. I previously posted the recipe as part of a round-up of holiday dessert recipes - you can see that post HERE. But Nanaimo Bars are not just for the holidays, and we felt like we really needed to have them in order to celebrate Canada Day properly, so here's the recipe one more time!

So what IS a Nanaimo Bar? It's a three-layer dessert bar, believed to have originated in the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. (Oh, and it's pronounced nuh-NYE-mo.) The bottom layer is a chocolatey graham crumb crust, and most recipes include shredded coconut or chopped nuts. Personally, I don't include those in my recipe because my kids object to coconut. Go figure. But leaving out the nuts and coconut also make it more likely that folks with nut allergies can enjoy this dessert, so it's all good! After melting together the sugar, butter, and cocoa, a beaten egg is added and cooked a bit before adding the graham crumbs.

The middle layer is a rich vanilla custard/icing type filling. You will need vanilla custard powder. I've seen recipes that use vanilla pudding mix, which might work out okay, but for it to be authentic, I believe you need custard powder. To find it (if you're in the USA), you may have to troll the International Foods Aisle at your grocery store. Maybe you'll be lucky and find it in the baking aisle, as I have sometimes! This may be a factor in this being a Canadian thing, because Bird's Custard Powder (there may be other brands, but this is the only one I'm familiar with) is readily available in the baking aisle of almost every grocery store. I have rarely seen it in local grocery stores in the USA, and when I have found it, it's been in the UK/Europe section of the International Foods Aisle.

And to finish it off, a chocolate layer goes on top. 

After chilling a bit, it's ready to enjoy - it goes great with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk.

Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup butter (or margarine)

1/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp cocoa

1 egg, beaten

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Melt butter, sugar, and cocoa in top of a double boiler (or a heavy saucepan). Add beaten egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in graham crumbs. You want it to be moist enough to pack firmly and hold together, but not be mushy. Press firmly into an ungreased 9x9 pan.

Middle Layer:

1/2 cup butter (you can use margarine, but trust me - butter is better)

3 tbsp milk

2 tbsp vanilla custard powder

2 cups icing sugar

Cream butter, milk and custard powder together, then add icing sugar and mix well. Beat until light and creamy. Spread over the bottom layer. I suggest chilling it a bit at this point to help that layer set.

Top Layer:

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or 4 squares semisweet baking chocolate)

3 tbsp butter

Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat. Allow it to cool for a bit, but while it's still pourable, spread gently over the second layer. Chill in the fridge for about an hour before serving. Cut into 36 squares with a sharp knife. 

This post is (or will be) linked at Try a New Recipe Tuesday, hosted by Lisa at Home to 4 Kiddos

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