Nanaimo Bars: A Canadian Tradition begun in Nanaimo, BC Recipes for regular and gluten free Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars: Butter or spray a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan with a non stick vegetable spray. Bottom Layer: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Return the saucepan to low heat and 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 onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about an hour). Middle Layer: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth. 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: Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Then, in a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the filling and refrigerate for about 10 minutes or just until the chocolate has set. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares. Yield: Makes about 25 squares. Preparation time 45 minutes. Bottom Layer: 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar 1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups (200 grams) graham cracker crumbs or crushed Digestive Biscuits 1 cup (65 grams) sweetened or unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked) 1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped Middle Layer: 1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream 2 tablespoons (20 grams) 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

Top Layer: 4 ounces (120 grams) semisweet chocolate 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Nobody disputes the origin of these treats (Nanaimo, B.C.), but there's always an opinion on the exact ingredients.

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 1cup cup(250 mL) (250 mL) graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup sweetned flaked coconut 1/2 1/2cup cup(125 mL) (125 mL) sweetned flaked coconut or shredded coconut 1/3 cup finely chopped walnut halves 1/3 1/3cup cup(75 mL) (75 mL) finely chopped walnut halfwalnut halves 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/4 1/4cup cup(50 mL) (50 mL) cocoa powder 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 1/4cup cup(50 mL) (50 mL) granulated sugar 1/3 cup butter, melted 1/3 1/3cup cup(75 mL) (75 mL) butter, melted 1 egg , lightly beaten1 1eggHYPERLINK "/glossary/egg.php"eggs, lightly beaten Filling: 1/4 cup butter 1/4 1/4cup cup(50 mL) (50 mL) butter 2 tbsp custard powder 2 2tbsp tbsp(25 mL) (25 mL) custard powder 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) vanilla 2 cups icing sugar 2 2cups cups(500 mL) (500 mL) icing sugar 2 tbsp milk , (approx.)2 2tbsp tbsp(25 mL) (25 mL) milk, (approx.) Topping: 4 oz semisweet chocolate , chopped4 4oz oz(113 g) (113 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 tbsp butter 1 1tbsp tbsp(15 mL) (15 mL) butter

Preparation
In bowl, stir together graham crumbs, coconut, walnuts, cocoa powder and sugar. Drizzle with butter and egg; stir until combined. Press crumb mixture into parchment paperlined 9-inch (2.5 L) square metal cake pan. Bake in 350F (180C) oven until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack. Filling: In bowl, beat together butter, custard powder and vanilla. Beat in icing sugar alternately with milk until smooth, adding up to 1 tsp (5 mL) more milk if too thick to spread. Spread over cooled base; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Topping: In heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate with butter. Spread over filling; refrigerate until almost set, about 30 minutes. With tip of knife, score into bars; refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. (Makeahead: Wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days or overwrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.) Cut into bars. Source : Canadian Living Magazine: July 2009
Gluten Free Nanaimo Bars Basic Information Prep Time: 2 to 4 hours Cook Time: 1 to 2 hours Yield: Makes around 16 bars Ingredients Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven from 200F to 375F. (Preparation time: 30 to 45 minutes total active prep, 2 hours to overnight and 45 minutes inactive prep.) For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers 1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour) 3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour 1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour 1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda 3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt 7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen) 1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover. 5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk 2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract (Preparation time: Nanaimo Bars: 30 minutes.) Nanaimo Bars Bottom Layer 1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter 1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar 5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa 1 Large Egg, Beaten 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous rec ipe) 1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped) 1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

For Nanaimo Bars Middle Layer 1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream 2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Birds. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.) 2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar For Nanaimo Bars Top Layer 4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate 2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter Method 1 Method - For the wafers In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 2 Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 3 If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 4 In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 5 Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 6 Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 7 and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 8 Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. My Notes: Mine were too sticky and I could not roll it on just floured surface. I placed it instead on a well floured Parchment paper. Placed another parchment paper on top and rolled the flour. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 9 Rolled it out to 1/8 inch thickness. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 10 It was easier this way and for the first batch of dough, I was unable to take the wafers out that easily. Hence I chilled the dough with the parchment paper itself. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45

minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough. 5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). 6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers. 7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows. Batch 1 dough Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 11 Batch 2 dough Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 12 Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 13 When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs. Additional Information: These bars freeze very well, so dont be afraid to pop some into the freezer.The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Mine lasted about that long.If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour. Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.For the Nanaimo Bars, if making with wheat, replace the glutenfree graham wafer crumbs with equal parts wheat graham wafer crumbs! Method - For the Bars For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 14 Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 15 For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 16 Spread over bottom layer. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 17 For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe

18 Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe 19 and chill. Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe I chilled it overnight since I finished making these only during previous night. I cut them out into squares the next morning. My husband usually tells me that I have an eye for beauty. Well that title has been taken away from me when he saw me take these out and cut them. I was in a hurry.... (for a good reason since I had just tasted the scraps that were sticking to the knife when I cut the first one out and was already in a frenzy! They were so damn yummy!) Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe Look at these beauties and tell me honestly - would you be able to resist something like these? Imagine my plight when I had to sit and take photos of them.......Uh huh! Not happening ppl! Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe They almost got over pretty fast Don't look that shocked - I did not eat them all....I still dont like chocolate remember? One whole piece by me, another one by my 'I am missing my sweet tooth too' husband; What happened to the rest of them? Good question - come to think of it, not everyone seems to have been born like us, with their sweet tooth missing - hence many of them came for seconds. I just have these left over Care for these anyone? Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe I am not a very good photographer like many of my fellow food bloggers - hence I cant say that I have managed to capture the beauty of these goodies, the way they captured the beauty of my palate mechanism. :) Notes for gluten-free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars: Glutinous rice flour does not contain any gluten, as it is made from a type of rice called glutinous (or sweet) rice. The graham wafer dough is very sticky. Make sure you are flouring (with sweet rice flour) well, or the dough will be difficult to remove from the surface you roll it out on. Also be sure to keep it cold. You do not want the butter to melt. I chose these flours because of their availability. Tapioca starch/flour and sweet rice flour can often be found in Asian grocery stores, or in the Asian section of you grocery store. Sorghum can be slightly more difficult to find, but it can be replaced with brown rice flour, millet flour or other alternatives. In the Nanaimo Bars, it is very important that the chocolate be cool but still a liquid, otherwise the custard layer will melt, and it will mix with the chocolate, being difficult to spread. Allow the chocolate mixture to come to room temperature but not solidify before spreading the top layer on. Fellow amazing daring baker Audax Artifex shares useful tips (dont forget to check out some amazing filling in his variations! Mind blowing!) The dough is very very soft so the best method to use is to roll the dough out using two layers of floured-parchment paper and I found that it was too soft to lift off so I just cut the rolled-out dough into the square shapes and placed the bottom parchment paper onto the baking sheet. After the 25 mins baking time the wafers were still soft on top but became crisp and hard after cooling. They puffed up a lot I just used a clean towel to push the fresh-out-of-oven wafers flat. You need to only make a 1/4 batch of the wafer recipe to make enough crumbs to make the bar. The butter/icing sugar/custard powder layer (the middle layer) whips up to a very light and puffy mixture. Just use volume measurements for the crumbs and the cocoa etc the nature of the bar recipe allows for the use of volumes instead of the normal weight measurements. Australia (Sydney) is so HOT at the moment so the recipe took about seven hours there was a lot of chilling for each of the layers. The resulting bar needs a lot of chilling to be able to be sliced into nice shapes. Most likely the bar will be a little soft if making it in a very hot and humid country like Australia. This bar tasted like the best 'Cherry Ripe' recipe I have very had since there is so much butter and yummy ingredients in the bar wonderful with iced tea on a hot summer's day. I think I will try slicing the bar after it has chilled overnight the picture below is after about 1 hour of chilling.

Classic Canadian Nanaimo Bars (cookies) Recipe