Nanaimo Bars – a deliciously tempting treat made amongst decadent chocolate, love sweetened graham crackers, crunchy nuts, rich butter as well as custard powder. A no-bake dessert that’s a summer must!
What is a Nanaimo Bar?
Some of yous are likely asking, what are Nanaimo Bars? They are a popular Canadian confection, basically a layered bar cookie, that to me tastes very like to a richly chocolaty, loaded fudge. They are named later the westward coast metropolis of Nanaimo, British Columbia.
They consist of iii layers, a cracker crumb and chocolate base, a custard flavored icing as well as then they’re finished alongside a chocolate coating.
The instructions for these treats may look to be long too boring merely these tasty treats are surprisingly super elementary to brand. They are a no-bake bar, afterwards all.
After ane taste yous’ll live wondering where these delicacies accept been your whole life!
What make they sense of taste like?
To me they are reminiscent of fudge, or an Almond Joy – just much better of form. It’sec something well-nigh the chocolate, almond coconut combo. A smashing combination!
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Nanaimo Bar Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: This ingredient is used inward all iii layers, must be what makes them and then delicious!
- Granulated sugar: Brown saccharide should operate fine hither besides.
- Unsweetened cocoa pulverization: Just role regular non Dutch or sweetened.
- Salt: This helps residual the sweet. You tin can as well mix inward a pinch or 2 with the cream in the centre layer.
- Egg: Note that egg is not fully heated to 160 degrees, then for food safety it is non recommend to serve such dishes to the elderly, those amongst a compromised immune arrangement or young children.
- Graham crackers: Don’t crush down to pulverization, they should take or so texture nevertheless.
- Almonds: Another variation is to purpose pecans or walnuts merely almonds are more traditional.
- Shredded coconut: I function sweetened coconut, though unsweetened should live fine as well.
- Heavy cream: Don’t substitute milk or this layer won’t live as thick and creamy.
- Custard pulverisation or powdered milk: Bird’sec custard pulverization is the nearly authentic pick only I do prefer the option without it, using the powdered milk variation instead. It’sec richer, less sweetness, more than natural together with filling is white instead of xanthous.
- Powdered carbohydrate: Only function powdered saccharide inward the filling or it will be gritty alongside any other type.
- Semi-sweetness chocolate: Don’t sub milk chocolate or bars will be as well sweetness.
Scroll downward for total recipe amongst element amounts in addition to directions.
How to Make Nanaimo Bars
- Prepare the baking dish: Butter an 8 past viii-inch baking dish. Line with parchment newspaper together with butter parchment, ready aside.
- Melt butter inwards double boiler: Melt butter inwards large heat proof bowl set up over a saucepan of simmering H2O set up over medium-low oestrus.
- Mix inwards dry ingredients, add egg: Remove from rut, add in saccharide, cocoa pulverisation as well as table salt too whisk until well combined. While whisking vigorously, real tardily pour in beaten egg in a thin stream.
- Cook merely until slightly thickened: Return mixture to rut and fix until mixture has but thickened.
- Add mix-ins: Remove from heat as well as add inward graham cracker crumbs, coconut, in addition to almonds and toss until evenly coated.
- Press into dish, chill: Press mixture into prepared baking dish. Chill while preparing the filling, bottom layer shouldn’t live warm when adding the custard frosting layer.
- Make custard flavor icing: see how-to for two possible variations inwards recipe box below.
- Spread over bottom layer, chill: Spread mixture into an even layer over bottom layer. Chill preferably inwards the freezer while melting chocolate.
- Melt chocolate, spread over pinnacle, allow fix: Melt semi-sweetness chocolate along amongst butter inward a estrus proof bowl, set over a pot of simmering H2O until polish. Spread mixture into an fifty-fifty layer over filling layer.
- Let ready, cutting: Chill until chocolate has prepare. Cut into squares.
How to Store
Store Nanaimo bars inwards an airtight container in the refrigerator (because of the egg and dairy). Bring to room temperature before serving.
Tips
- I’ve did a next gustation and personally I do prefer the dry milk vs. the custard powder simply if yous are going for authenticity and then role the Bird’s custard pulverisation.
- Chill betwixt layers so the don’t blend, for a pretty presentation. Also you lot don’t want that icing layer to melt.
- Use a clean abrupt knife to cutting into bars, Also I like to cutting across instead of down for cleaner cuts.
More No-Bake Desserts to Try
Nanaimo Bars
A no bake bar made with 3 layers of pure decadence! You become a chocolatey, graham cracker-kokosnoot base of operations, a sweet cream filling, too they're finished amongst a layer of rich semi-sweetness chocolate.
Servings: 9
Ingredients
Bottom Layer:
- i/two loving cup (113g) unsalted butter, diced into pieces
- one/four loving cup (50g) granulated carbohydrate
- five Tbsp (thirty g) unsweetened cocoa pulverisation
- i/8 tsp salt
- i large egg, lightly beaten
- i iii/iv cup (180g) graham cracker crumbs* (well-nigh 12 sheets)
- ane/ii cup (76g) almonds, finely chopped
- one cup (83g) sweetened shredded coconut
Filling
- 1/ii cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 - three Tbsp heavy cream
- two Tbsp Bird's custard pulverisation, or i/four loving cup powdered milk as well as 1 tsp vanilla
- ane iii/4 cups (210g) powdered sugar
Top Layer
- iv oz semi-sugariness chocolate, chopped
- 2 Tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Butter an viii past 8-inch baking dish. Line alongside parchment paper as well as butter parchment, ready aside.
- For the outset layer: Melt butter inwards large rut proof bowl gear up over a saucepan of simmering H2O prepare over medium-low oestrus.
- Remove from rut, add together inwards sugar, cocoa pulverization in addition to salt together with whisk until good combined. While whisking vigorously, really slow pour inwards beaten egg in a thin stream.
- Return mixture to rut as well as make until mixture has but thickened.
- Remove from heat as well as add inward graham cracker crumbs, coconut, in addition to almonds in addition to toss until evenly coated.
- Press mixture into prepared baking dish. Chill piece preparing the filling, bottom layer shouldn't live warm when adding the custard frosting layer.
- For the minute layer: If you are using the custard pulverization choice and so just add powdered carbohydrate, butter, custard powder as well as two Tbsp heavy cream to mixer check amongst paddle attachment. Whip until real pale in addition to fluffy piece adding some other one Tbsp cream to sparse if needed.
- If you lot are using the powdered milk choice, add 1/four cup powdered milk together with iii Tbsp heavy cream to the bowl of an electric stand up mixer. Whisk vigorously to dissolve powdered milk. Add inwards butter, powdered carbohydrate too vanilla, fix mixer amongst paddle attachment as well as beat out mixture until rattling lite together with fluffy.
- Spread mixture into an even layer over bottom layer. Chill preferably in the freezer spell melting chocolate (otherwise the warm chocolate tin melt this layer).
- For the third layer: Melt semi-sugariness chocolate along amongst butter in a heat proof bowl, set over a pot of simmering H2O until polish (or inwards the microwave in a microwave safe bowl inwards 20 instant intervals stirring betwixt each, until melted together with polish).
- Spread mixture into an fifty-fifty layer over filling layer (spread quickly earlier chocolate begins to set). Chill until chocolate has fix.
- Cut into squares (tip for best appearance, cut squares from side to side rather than cut downwards). Store inwards an airtight container in fridge, convey to room temperature earlier serving.
Notes
*ane. To chop ingredients I recommend using the nutrient processor:
Important bank bill: I don't recommend serving these bars to the elderly, young children or those with a weakened immune organisation. Though the egg is cooked, inwards testing twice I plant 140 - 145 degrees was every bit high as I dare let the temp go or I felt the egg would get down to curdle as well as the mixture would too go too dry out. The USDA recommends a safe temp of 160 degrees.
- Break graham cracker sheets inwards half, add to the food processor too pulse into fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl. To shell by mitt home graham crackers in a gallon size resealable pocketbook together with crush using a rolling pin.
- Add the almonds too pulse inwards brusk bursts until chopped real pocket-size, transfer to bowl with the graham crackers. Almonds can also live chopped fine past mitt.
- I even similar to too chop upwardly the coconut until it'sec well-nigh half the master size inward the nutrient processor, though this is optional.
Important bank bill: I don't recommend serving these bars to the elderly, young children or those with a weakened immune organisation. Though the egg is cooked, inwards testing twice I plant 140 - 145 degrees was every bit high as I dare let the temp go or I felt the egg would get down to curdle as well as the mixture would too go too dry out. The USDA recommends a safe temp of 160 degrees.
Recipe adapted from Nanaimo Tourism.
