A Tasty Tradition: Nanaimo Bars

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

If Canada has a national dessert in that place would locomote a create do betwixt butter tarts together with nanaimo bars. I dearest both every bit together with could never locomote forced to pick a winner. Butter tarts are similar pecan pies without the pecans (raisins together with walnuts are subbed instead). But a nanaimo bar is something special.

It's a layered bar. The bottom base of operations is chock sum of walnuts, kokosnoot together with is heady amongst chocolate. This is my favourite layer because I similar the pinch of common salt together with the nuts that human activity as a foil to all of the sweetness that comes next. The middle is made amongst custard merely I've never seen a recipe that makes their ain custard from scratch. Bird's custard pulverization is the tool for this job. I'm non certain how readily available it is inward the U.S.A. of America of Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 merely you lot tin uncovering it easily inward grocery stores around Canada together with the UK. If you've got a practiced U.S.A. of America origin for this, delight exit it inward the comments. The transcend layer is pure chocolate ganache together with I similar to purpose the best bittersweet chocolate I tin buy. Milk chocolate would brand this agency likewise sweetness together with semi-sweet chocolate chips would endure from the same fate. Good nighttime chocolate, people, is key! Smack all 3 layers together together with you've got a truthful Canadian favourite. 

If you lot desire to read upwards near these bars, in that place is a wikipedia page, of course.

Traditional Nanaimo Bars

If nuts are an allergy concern, experience complimentary to exit them out. Or if you lot abhor walnuts, you lot mightiness instruct away amongst using pecans or almonds, merely thus we're out of traditional territory. Regarding the custard layer, I've heard rumours that you lot could purpose vanilla pudding powder, merely that wouldn't locomote proper here. 

base:

i loving cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 loving cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 loving cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 loving cup granulated sugar

1/4 loving cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 loving cup melted butter

i egg, lightly beaten

filling:

1/4 loving cup butter, softened

two tablespoons Bird's custard powder

i teaspoon vanilla

two cups icing carbohydrate (aka powdered sugar)

two tablespoons milk (maybe a petty more)

topping:

iv oz practiced lineament bittersweet chocolate, chips or chopped

i tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In a large bowl, stir together the crumbs, coconut, sugar, walnuts, common salt together with cocoa. Drizzle inward the melted butter together with thus stir inward the egg until good combined. Press mixture into a lightly sprayed or buttered (sides & bottom) 8x8 foursquare cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes together with thus allow cool completely on a wire rack. 

Prepare the filling past times mixing the butter amongst the custard pulverization together with vanilla. Stir inward the icing sugar, mixing inward the milk until smooth. If you lot withdraw to add together inward a tiny fleck to a greater extent than milk to instruct it smooth, instruct ahead. Spread evenly over the base of operations together with refrigerate until firm, near i hour. 

Melt butter amongst the chocolate inward a microwave on depression (about 50% power) until melted - near two minutes. Stir a few times inside the microwave wheel to foreclose scorching. Or purpose a double boiler. The alternative is yours. Spread chocolate over the filling together with refrigerate for thirty minutes. With your knife, grade the bars into squares - I similar smaller rectangular bars instead of large squares. Refrigerate for i hr together with thus cutting into bars using a knife dipped inward hot H2O to proceed the cuts clean. Keep inward a covered container inward the fridge. Makes xviii squares.

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