Nanaimo Bars

I first tasted these incredibly rich goodies in Nanaimo, BC. Nanaimo is west of Victoria, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. I got this recipe off the Nanaimo Tourism Bureau website a few years back. The comments in parenthesis are mine. They need to be refrigerated but they are best served a little closer to room temperature so the center will be gooey (In my humble opinion). To my knowledge, they have no calories. LOL

Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer
1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 tbsp cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut

1. Melt first 3 ingredients in top of a double bolier
2. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts.
5. Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" (or 9X9) pan.

Middle Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp heavy cream
2 tbsp vanilla custard powder (since this recipe originated in Canada and I'm in the US, I wasn't sure what this was. I assume it's pudding mix. I use the boxed pudding mix- not the instant kind- and it works great.)
2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar

1. Cream together butter, cream, and custard powder.
2. Beat until light.
3. Spread over bottom layer.

Top Layer
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz each)
2 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat (I use the double boiler- I wouldn't attempt using a microwave).
2. Cool (stir it a lot and it will cool quickly- especially if you transfer it to a cool bowl- don't forget about it because you don't want it to get hard)
3. When cool but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.