Nanaimo Bars are a uniquely Canadian dessert that take their name from Nanaimo, British Columbia. Make this no-bake, three-layer recipe in easy-to-follow steps.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (like Fry’s)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups graham wafer crumbs
• 1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 2-1/2 Tbsp vanilla custard powder (1 envelope, like Bird’s)
• 2 cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Three 1 oz squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

Directions

1 Melt 1/2 cup butter, the granulated sugar, and the cocoa in a very heavy saucepan on low heat.

2 Whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly to thicken.

3 Remove from the heat. Stir in the graham crumbs and coconut.

4 Turn the chocolate mixture into an ungreased 8- x 8-inch pan. Press down with your fingers to spread evenly.

5 Cream the 1/2 cup butter, cream, custard powder, icing sugar, and vanilla together. Beat well with a spoon. Spread over the crumb layer.

6 Melt the chocolate and the remaining 2 tbsp butter in a heavy saucepan on very low heat.

7 Drizzle the melted chocolate over the second layer, spreading evenly with a back of a spoon. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

8 Bring to room temperature and cut into squares.


Yields 24 small squares.
 

BUY THIS BOOK
Excerpted from Miss Vickie's Kitchen by Vickie Kerr. Recipes Copyright © 2014 Vickie Kerr, Photography copyright © 2014 John Sherlock. Excerpted by permission of Raincoast Books, Richmond, B.C. All rights reserved.