Hi, I'm Danelle and this is where I dish about my favorite recipes and how to make them. Have a look around. I hope you'll find some of your favorite dishes here too!
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding powder
2 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Directions
Combine the sugar, cocoa and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until butter is melted and everything is well blended. Remove from heat and quickly stir in beaten egg. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press mixture firmly into a lightly greased, 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate for one hour. Meanwhile, beat the milk, pudding powder, powdered sugar and 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spread over chilled base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Pour over bars and spread evenly. Return to refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Let's Dish
Until I married my Canadian husband, I'd never heard of Nanaimo bars. As luck would have it, we spent the first five years of our marriage in Victoria, British Columbia, about an hour south of Nanaimo, the town these bars are named for. Despite the name, these unique bars are popular all over Canada. Since moving to the United States over 10 years ago, I've tried several Nanaimo Bar recipes. This is the first one that actually tastes like the bars that were so readily available in every grocery store in Canada. When we try to describe Nanaimo Bars to our friends here, we usually refer to all of the chocolate and butter. How could you go wrong with that combination? Now we can have Nanaimo Bars whenever the craving strikes!
Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book.
I had never heard of these until I started blogging. I still haven't tried them, but it's good to know that this recipe is close to the original. Do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut? I'm very interested in trying these! :)
ReplyDeleteSweetened . . . I changed the recipe to reflect that!
ReplyDeletei have never seen or heard of these either!
ReplyDeleteany other canadian goodies i dont know about because these look good enough to make me want to move haha!
Great job on educating all the poor, poor Americans who had deprived childhoods without any Nanaimo Bars! ;)
ReplyDeleteI am also a Victoria, BC native but now live in the US (California)...small world. :)
Oh...and the genuine Nanaimo Bar recipe uses custard powder instead of vanilla pudding -- it's a very different taste and one that makes it truly authentic (in my humble opinion!). Of course, that's a British product so it's not sold in the US -- but you CAN find it at Cost Plus World Market in the international foods!! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks so fantastic! My family will love it!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'll have to get some of that custard powder next time we go to Cananda. It does have a different taste. But this is the best knock-off recipe I have found living in the states--better than no Nanaimo bars at least! :)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from the home of the Nanaimo Bar. The best way to sample one of these delights is to visit Nanaimo of course, but if you would like to make one of our world famous bars at home, you will find several great recipes at http://nanaimo-info.com/gpage.html. It is a well known fact that Nanaimo Bars are not fattening when eaten during our International Bathtub Race Festival, or at Christmas time when eaten with egg nog. :^)
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to see more of what Nanaimo has to offer I invite you to check out a few slides at http://www.nanaimo-info-blog.com/p/nanaimo-video-and-slides.html.
I know you will find a trip to Nanaimo an enjoyable experience, and if you come during the summer months you can enjoy one of our many summer time celebrations which include the International Bathtub Races, The Silly Boat Regatta, The Dragon Boat Races, The Summertime Blues Festival, Symphony in the Park, all of which are held in our world class waterfront park and promenade.
Hope to See YOU Soon!
Cheers
Jim
When I first started blogging I came across Nanaimo bars. I had never eaten or heard of them before that. Let's just say that they are incredibly delicious and have been requested quite frequently since that first time I made them. They were even included in our Christmas baking. Oh yes, we definitely fell in love with them :o)
ReplyDeleteDanelle, these look great. i too hadn't heard of them until I started blogging. I really like the looks of these. They look terrific. I'll have to try them soon!
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous do these look?!!! I think I need to buy some instant vanilla pudding mix!
ReplyDeletei havent made these in ages! did you know these were invented in nanaimo canada?
ReplyDeleteThey look delicious. I've never tried nanaimo bars, but your photo makes me sure that I'm missing out on something good.
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents served a mission in northern BC like 20 years ago and they brought these home with them. I haven't come across them at all until today. Thank you for bringing back so many great memories! Your blog is fantastic and your photos are incredible. A new foodie favorite for sure!
ReplyDeleteWe made a cupcake version of the nanaimo bar. Check it out on our blog: http://bsinthekitchen.com/?p=1775
ReplyDelete