Tap Into Your Inner Canadian!

During our Canadian studies for school, we came across a list of Canadian foods, one was called Nanaimo Bars. There were others of course, like poutine, but I had never heard of Nanaimo Bars before, so they caught my attention!

Nanaimo Bars are a no-bake treat named after Nanaimo, British Columbia, which is on Vancouver Island. The bars have 3 layers that consist of a coconut crumb base, a butter icing middle layer, and a chocolate ganache top layer. They apparently can be made without coconut, though I love coconut, and the icing can be flavored with things like peanut butter, mint, mocha, and more!

From what I read, there is a little controversy about where these bars come from, some have even said that they were once called London Fog bars, implying that they are from London, but to Canadians, especially on the west coast, these are a staple dessert!

Anyway, the kids and I set out to make these and they were very easy, super rich, and incredibly addicting!

What You’ll Need:

You will need…

• Butter
• sugar
• cocoa powder
• graham crackers
• an egg,
• shredded coconut
• heavy cream
• vanilla
• powdered sugar
• baking chocolate
• 8×8 pan

Did I mention these are sweet?

Though the above list might seem long and the three layers might seem intense, these are easy… and because they are no-bake, they can be easy for little kids to help with!

Directions:

• You are going to start with your first layer by melting the butter and mixing in the cocoa, sugar, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and tempered egg. Then press that mixture into you 8×8 pan and pop it in the fridge
• While that is cooling, start on your second layer by creaming more butter with heavy cream, corn starch, and vanilla. Then mix the powdered sugar into that mixture until smooth. Layer over the first layer and then pop in the fridge to chill
• Lastly, begin your third layer by melting the last of the butter and chocolate until smooth. Evenly spread over the second layer and then put in the fridge to chill
• Let the last layer set before cutting

Notes:

• Use butter not margarine
• I tend to buy organic ingredients when possible, this is a personal decision based on years of research and because I have Lupus, however, the grocery store by my house doesn’t carry organic graham crackers. I bought the brand that had no high-fructose corn syrup and that had no bioengineered ingredients, which was the Kroger brand. Check here for some organic options. Some are sweetened with honey and dates. Regardless if you are organic or not, I would caution you away from Honey Maid as they have bioengineered ingredients. ALWAYS check your labels!
•  If you are not from the US you might not be familiar or can’t get graham crackers. I would suggest using Digestive Biscuits as a substitute.
• When making these, pop them into the fridge between layers, that will especially help with the 3rd layer. I know it says that above but it will help with the outcome, and can be one of those steps people over look.
• Try adding chopped nuts to the coconut layer or instead of the coconut.
• To flavor the second layer add extracts or pudding powders to the mixture.
• I cut 16 of these in an 8×8 but we’ve made these for gatherings, cutting the squares smaller. You can do 32 and even 64 if you go slow. They make really cute bite-sized portions for a dessert table. They were also a hit at a bake sale my son had for his robotics team. If you do use this for a bake sale, write and ingredient list so people know the dairy and coconut are there. 
• Canada Day, July 1st, would be a great day to make these and learn a bit more about Canada.

It’s Fun When You Are In the Know

If you are a fan of Schitt’s Creek, there is a scene when Jocelyn is bringing over a batch of these Nanaimo Bars to the Rose clan, my hubby and I were like… “we know what those are!” If you haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek… make a batch of these and binge it (after the kiddos are in bed)… you be glad you did both!

Enjoy This Bit of Canada

For those interested in the Canadian study part of this post, I am slowly building a section for that… and eventually for many more countries, so check back! You can see the Canadian Homeschooling page here… just remember it is a work in progress.

If you make these please let me know what you think! You can comment below or head over to Instagram or Facebook and share your pics… tag me @bemandfam! I am especially interested if anyone modifies the flavor. I’m thinking of doing a peppermint during Christmas and if I do, I will update this post.

Don’t forget to pin this for later and if you like Pinterest, I am there too!

Enjoy your treat!

BEM and Fam 🙂

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PS. This post has some affiliate links, read more about those here.

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Nanaimo Bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: easy, homemade, Kid approved, no bake, sweets

Author: Bettina Zabel

Ingredients

Layer 1

• ½ cup Butter 1 stick softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 TBSP Cocoa powder unsweetened
• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 cup shredded coconut you can use either sweet or unsweet, depending on your taste

Layer 2

• 3 TBSP Heavy Whipping Cream
• ½ cup butter 1 stick softened
• 2 TBSP corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Layer 3

• 4 oz baking chocolate semisweet
• 2 TBSP butter

Instructions

First Layer

1. Combine 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and cocoa powder in a pot and on low, melting the butter and ingredients together. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.

   

2. Whisk an egg in a separate bowl and then mix into the cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Stir for 2-3 minutes. It is important that you cook the cocoa mixture on low as to not "cook" the egg. Alternatively, you could "temper" the egg by putting spoonfuls of of the warm mixture into the whisked egg and then pour it all back into the mixture on the stove.

   

3. Take off the heat and mix in the graham crackers and coconut. 

   

4. Press the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 pan. Set aside or chill and move onto the Second Layer!

   

Second Layer

1. Cream together 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream, cornstarch, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth. 

   
2. Spread over the first layer in the pan. Chill to set.
   

Third Layer

1. While the second layer is chilling, melt the semisweet chocolate and 2 teaspoons butter together over low heat. 

   
2. Spread over the chilled bars. 
   
3. Let the chocolate set before cutting into squares.
   

Recipe Notes

The second layer is supposed to be a custard flavor and often many people don't have custard powder at their fingertips. Some people will substitute with vanilla pudding, but I like the cornstarch and vanilla approach better, it helps fluff up the icing!