I'm going to be visiting friends in New Westminster British Columbia at the end of this month. In looking around at recipes I came across a recipe for Nanaimo Bars, named after a city on Vancouver Island. Evidently about 35 years ago a Nanaimo housewife entered a cooking contest with this recipe and instead of naming the bars after herself or some other catchy name, she named them Nanaimo Bars.
I've never been to Nanaimo, but I can attest to the fact that I think British Columbia is a beautiful place. Coming from a small town in South Texas I was in awe of the surroundings and have been fortunate to visit there several times. My friends have been very patient with me over the years when I ask them dumb questions such as 'Do you have American television?' What can I say -- at the time it was ANOTHER COUNTRY to me, so I thought it a valid question -- LOL. Anyway, these bars are really easy to put together. They are very rich. I don't know what makes them 'Canadian' other than a Canadian woman created the recipe and they are named after a place in Canada, but no matter what -- they are good.
NANAIMO BARS
For the crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix ingredients together and pat in a greased 7 x 11 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool completely before adding filling.
For the filling:
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
Cream the butter by hand in a medium bowl and add in 1 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. In a separate small bowl, stir the milk and pudding mix together, then add to the butter mixture. Add in the remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust and refrigerate until cold.
For the icing:
6 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
Melt the chocolate and butter in microwave until smooth. Spread over cold filling. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.
I've never been to Nanaimo, but I can attest to the fact that I think British Columbia is a beautiful place. Coming from a small town in South Texas I was in awe of the surroundings and have been fortunate to visit there several times. My friends have been very patient with me over the years when I ask them dumb questions such as 'Do you have American television?' What can I say -- at the time it was ANOTHER COUNTRY to me, so I thought it a valid question -- LOL. Anyway, these bars are really easy to put together. They are very rich. I don't know what makes them 'Canadian' other than a Canadian woman created the recipe and they are named after a place in Canada, but no matter what -- they are good.
NANAIMO BARS
For the crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix ingredients together and pat in a greased 7 x 11 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool completely before adding filling.
For the filling:
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
Cream the butter by hand in a medium bowl and add in 1 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. In a separate small bowl, stir the milk and pudding mix together, then add to the butter mixture. Add in the remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust and refrigerate until cold.
For the icing:
6 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
Melt the chocolate and butter in microwave until smooth. Spread over cold filling. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.
The center filling is supposed to be custard powder. The recipe is on the city of nanaimo website. you can order custard powder online.
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