Buttercream Icing recipe:
Get our Buttercream Icing recipe here.
More Nanaimo bar recipes:
Get our holiday nanaimo bars recipe here.
For a less-sweet version, try our staff favourite recipe for salted-almond Nanaimo bars.
Classic Nanaimo Bars
By Chatelaine180
PREP TIME
20 min
TOTAL TIME
1 h
Makes
16 squares
* PLUS chilling time
Photography, Erik Putz. Food Styling, Dara Sutin. Prop Styling, Krystin Leigh Smith.
This decadent no-bake dessert bar is named after the city in British Columbia where the recipe originated, likely in the 1950s.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup graham-cracker crumbs , (77 g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut , (60 g)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts , (40 g)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder , (20 g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , melted
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar , (180 g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
Topping
- 1 170-g pkg dark chocolate , finely chopped
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Line an 8 × 8-in. baking pan with parchment, leaving overhang on all sides.
- Crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs with coconut, walnuts, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup melted butter until combined. Sprinkle evenly over bottom of prepared pan, then firmly press down.
- Filling: Beat icing sugar with 1/2 cup butter, custard powder, milk, vanilla and salt using an electric mixer on low for 1 min. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 min. Spread over cookie base and spread evenly to the edges. Refrigerate until just firm, about 30 min.
- Topping: Microwave chocolate with 3 tbsp butter in a small bowl, stirring halfway, until smooth, 30 sec to 1 min. Pour melted chocolate over chilled custard and spread evenly to the edges. Chill until chocolate is semi-firm but easy to cut without cracking, about 20 min. Cut into 16 squares. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Squares can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Kitchen tip
Lining your baking pan with parchment will allow you to easily transfer the bars out of pan for slicing.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 280,
- Protein
- 2 g,
- Carbohydrates
- 24 g,
- Fat
- 20 g,
- Fibre
- 2 g,
- Sodium
- 105 mg.
