Nanaimo Bars

Nearly every Canadian has made Nanaimo Bars, either from scratch or from the (actually quite reasonable) boxed version made by Robin Hood. The base is a rich graham mixture with the nutty undertones of coconut. It's balanced out by an sweet filling, and topped all off with a layer of chocolate. We recently had friends over for dinner and served these as dessert - especially since we knew the guest of honour had never had the opportunity to try them before as he is from Israel. The look on his face was pure awe & astonishment. "These are perfect," he exclaimed.

Nanaimo Bars were named after the British Columbia town Nanaimo. It is rumoured that in the 50s, a magazine had a recipe contest and a local housewife came up with this recipe and submitted it. Having no name for her concoction, she named it after the town in which she lived. She won the contest, and this delicious little treat has become a Canadian culinary staple.

Nanaimo Bars
(Recipe from Joy of Baking.com)

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Dutch-processed)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (Bird's) or vanilla pudding powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (230 grams) powdered sugar (confectioners or icing) sugar

Topping:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Butter (or use a cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

BOTTOM LAYER: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).

FILLING: In your electric mixer cream the butter. Beat in the remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

TOP LAYER: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the filling and refrigerate.

TO SERVE: To prevent the chocolate from cracking, using a sharp knife, bring the squares to room temperature before cutting.

Yield: Makes about 25 squares