Nanaimo Bars

I’m going to be honest; I don’t speak the name of this dessert out loud. Even in my head I say it kind of like Naan-abhjbdv-mo. You know?

I have this terrible little habit of mispronouncing every word. I used to think cognac was pronounced “cog-nack.” And by “used to,” I mean I’ve said “cog-nack” my entire life until this past summer. But I think my most notable mispronunciation would definitely have to be saying “epitome” like “epi-TOE-me.” Or maybe when I said “paradigm” exactly like how it’s spelled. No silent “G” here!

But I digress… There’s no cognac in this recipe but it may be the epitome of no-bake desserts. Tehe. He…. He. Can you tell I’ve had one too many Nan- bars? Because. I. Cannot. Stop. Eating. Them.

My good friend/fake sister, Kelsey, and I had another baking date last Thursday. Our theme for the night was Valentine’s Day, of course! We made pink Nan- bars, Raspberry White Chocolate Scones, Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies, and Valentine’s themed peppermint brownies. Holiday themed always tastes SO much better than the original. (I.e., Pink Peanut M&Ms)

Yep, we are pretty cute… even after too many taste testers… And by taste testers I mean eating a row of Nanaimo Bars and three scones each that were definitely not bite-sized.

Nanaimo Bars recipe from I Adore Food:

½ cup of butter, room temperature

¼ cup of white sugar

5 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg, beaten

1 ¾ cup of graham cracker crumbs

1 cup of coconut flakes

½ Cup of butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of vanilla pudding powder (the instant stuff)

2 cups of icing sugar (confectioners)

4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate

2 teaspoons of butter

1. (The first 6 ingredients are for the bottom layer) On top of a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, white sugar and cocoa powder. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Beat in the egg, stirring until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the graham cracker crumbs and coconut .
2. In a 8×8 inch pan, put parchemin paper (enough to overlap on all 4 sides). Press the batter down in the pan to form the first layer.
3. For the middle layer, cream together 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream and the vanilla pudding powder powder until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Chill to set.
4. While the second layer is chilling, melt the semisweet chocolate and 2 teaspoons butter together in the microwave or over low heat. (I personally take the chocolate out every 10 seconds or so to mix it and make sure it does not burn. The whole thing usually takes about 90 seconds or so.)
5. Spread over the chilled bars. Let the chocolate set before cutting (in the fridge for half an hour). When the chocolate has set, lift the whole thing out of the pan by lifting with the parchment paper. Cut about a centimeter trim on the four sides and then cut squares, making sure you clean your knife frequently so the bars are immaculate.