Nanaimo Bars

Very sweet dessert bar with a chocolate-nut-coconut base layer, a vanilla custard middle layer and a chocolate glaze topping. Named after the city of Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.

Ingredients

Chocolate Base Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup of shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup of softened butter
- 1/2 cup of chopped almonds or walnuts
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 egg

Custard Filling Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

Glaze Ingredients:
- 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 tablespoon of butter

Instructions

Combine all base ingredients and press them into a 9 inch square pan. Combine butter, milk, and the vanilla pudding powder. Blend in powdered sugar and spread custard filling over the chocolate base. Partially melt glaze chocolate and butter, remove form from the heat, and stir until melted. Spread the glaze over the custard layer. Serve chilled. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month. Makes 24 bars.

References:

About Nanaimo Bars:
- nanaimo.ca - about nanaimo - nanaimo bar trail (pdf)
- wikipedia.org - nanaio bar - article