BEST EVER NANAIMO BARS
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep: 
Total time: 
Serves: 35
 
Ingredients
  • BASE:
  • ¾ cup butter or margarine
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 6 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (*see note for substitutions)
  • 1 cup coconut
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (OPTIONAL)
  • MIDDLE LAYER:
  • ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 6 tbsp milk
  • 4 tbsp custard powder
  • 4 cups icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar)
  • TOP LAYER:
  • 8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate
  • 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
  1. BASE: Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Heat and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
  2. Stir in graham crumbs, coconut, and walnuts. Pack firmly into ungreased 9x13” pan. Chill while you prepare the middle layer.
  3. MIDDLE LAYER: Beat all 4 ingredients together in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over first layer. Chill for 45 minutes.
  4. TOP LAYER: Melt chocolate and butter in a small bowl at 50% power in microwave. Microwave for about 1½ minutes, stir and microwave another 30 seconds or longer if needed, stirring frequently. Spread fairly evenly over middle layer. Chill for 1 hour, then score chocolate with a sharp knife and return to fridge to chill completely before cutting into bars.
Notes
Scoring the chocolate just means making shallow cuts in it so that it will not chill into a solid mass, which will crack when you eventually go to cut these into bars. If there is some cracking don't worry about it - they taste just as delicious :) To make these gluten free, replace the graham crumbs with gluten free graham crumbs, ground gluten free Chex cereal or gluten free Rice Krispies. Oreo crumbs can also be substituted for the graham crumbs. The chill times are approximate - you just want each layer to be set enough that you can spread the next layer on without pulling it up. You can also leave the layers to chill for much longer if you're busy with other things, it doesn't matter :)
Recipe by Hidden Ponies at https://hiddenponies.com/2012/12/saturday-sweets-best-ever-nanaimo-bars/