Nanaimo Bars

If there is one dessert that my mom makes that I absolutely salivate over, it is her Nanaimo Bars!  I believe that this is a predominately Canadian dessert, and it is ridiculously good.  

For me, these goes hand-in-hand with a Christmas celebration at my parent's house.  These bars consist of 3 layers, and each layer goes so well with the other two.  I will admit that I didn't make these, I took pictures this past weekend at our family Christmas brunch :)

If you need to bring a dessert to a party, these are amazing! They are also much much better than the store-bought kind.


Nanaimo Bars

• For the bottom layer
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp cocoa
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups graham wafer crumbs
• 1 cup fine coconut
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
• For the middle layer
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 3 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp vanilla custard powder
• 2 cups icing sugar
• For the top layer
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips or 4 squares of semisweet chocolate
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine

1. For the bottom layer
1. Grease a 9" x 9" pan
2. Melt the butter/margarine, sugar and cocoa together in a heavy saucepan
3. Add the egg and stir to cook & thicken
4. Remove from heat, and stir in the graham crumbs, coconut, and nuts
5. Press firmly into the prepared pan
2. For the middle layer
1. Cream together the butter/margarine, milk, custard powder, and icing sugar
2. Beat until light and fluffy
3. Spread over the bottom layer
3. For the top layer
1. Melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring until smooth
2. Remove from heat, and let it cool until it is comfortable to the touch but still spreadable
3. Spread over the middle layer
4. Place the Nanaimo bars in the refrigerator to chill
5. After the bars have chilled (for a couple hours or overnight), cut into 36 squares with a sharp knife
6. Enjoy!