Recepieplanning
Canadian
Nanaimo Bars Dessert
30 min total23 prep7 cook16 servings290 cal
MediumVegetarianClassicContains glutenContains dairyContains egg
No-bake layered bars with a chocolate-coconut base, creamy custard middle, and chocolate top. Named for Nanaimo, British Columbia.
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Ingredients
16servings
bakery
- 1 cupgraham crackers, crushed
pantry
- 1 cupshredded coconut
- 5 tbspcocoa powder
- 2 cuppowdered sugar
- 3 tbspvanilla custard powder
- 6 ozsemisweet chocolate
- 1 tspvanilla extract
dairy
- 1 cupunsalted butter
- 3 tbspmilk
- 1egg
Steps
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment. Melt 1/2 cup butter; stir in sugar (2 tbsp), cocoa, beaten egg, crushed graham crackers, and coconut; press into the pan and chill.
- Beat remaining 1/2 cup butter with powdered sugar, custard powder, milk, and vanilla until fluffy; spread over the base and chill firm.
- Melt chocolate with 1 tbsp butter until smooth; spread over the custard layer.
- Chill until chocolate is set but not rock hard, about 20 minutes.
- Score portion lines with a warm knife.
- Chill fully, then cut into bars along the scores.
- Wipe the knife between cuts for clean layers.
- Serve chilled.
- Store refrigerated up to 1 week.
- Freeze well wrapped up to 1 month.
Tips
- Chill each layer firmly before adding the next.
- Warm the top chocolate slightly so it spreads without cracking the middle.
- Score the chocolate before it fully hardens for cleaner cuts.
- Use real butter for the classic custard flavor.
