Sharing recipes is a love language. It’s the way we connect with people and share a part of ourselves with others. We also use recipes to share culture and family history.
So here’s a recipe from my Canadian side of the family. These bars are usually made at Christmas time, but I like to make them year-round. Pronounced nah-nigh-moe: these bars are named after a small village in British Columbia and are a Canadian classic.
Nanaimo Bars
1x recipe makes ½ 200 pan or about a 9×13” pan
Bottom Layer:
Butter 113 g
Sugar 50 g
Cocoa powder 4 g
Egg 1ea
Vanilla extract 10 g
Pecans (chopped) 50 g
Graham cracker crumbs 170 g
Shredded coconut 75 g
Middle Layer:
Butter (room temp) 57 g
Hot water 30 g
Custard powder* 16 g
Powdered sugar 256 g
Top Layer:
Dark chocolate 112 g
Butter 14 g
To Make Bottom Layer:
Bring butter, sugar, and cocoa to a simmer over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Whisk egg with vanilla and slowly whisk into butter/cocoa mixture. Pour over graham, pecans, and coconut and stir to combine. Press into pan lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed. Put in fridge to set while making middle.
To Make Middle Layer:
Cream all ingredients together in mixer with a paddle till light and fluffy. Spread carefully over bottom layer and put in freezer to chill.
To Make Top Layer:
Melt chocolate with butter in microwave and spread over middle layer. Put in fridge to set.
Pull from the fridge 30-45 minutes before cutting in order to make clean cuts (chocolate will crack if cut while cold). Enjoy!!!
*Custard powder is a British imported product that is used to make/thicken custards, similar to instant pudding mix. It can be found at regular grocery stores in the international section and it comes in a small
round tin: called Bird’s Custard Powder. If you can’t find it, you can use instant vanilla pudding mix.