Although they have three layers, these Nanaimo bars are worthwhile. These are what my kid is known for producing and bringing to work. Although I’ve heard various names for them, in the Northwest everyone refers to them as Nanaimo bars. They are offered at coffee shops and on British Columbian Ferries. If custard powder is unavailable, quick pudding mix works well in its place.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 1 8×8-inch pan |
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened, divided
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- ½ cup finely chopped almonds (Optional)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons custard powder
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate
- 2 teaspoons butter
Instructions
- In the top of a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup softened butter, cocoa powder, and sugar. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Beat in egg and stir until thick, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and mix in graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8×8-inch pan.
- For the middle layer, beat remaining 1/2 cup softened butter, heavy cream, and custard powder until light and fluffy. Mix in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Chill to set.
- While the second layer is chilling, melt semisweet chocolate and 2 teaspoons butter together in the microwave or over low heat.
- Spread melted chocolate mixture over chilled bars. Let the chocolate set before cutting into squares.
- The magazine version of this recipe uses instant vanilla pudding powder instead of custard powder.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 311 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 47 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 160 mg |
| Sugars | 26 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Wonderful, been making these for years! Never disappoints
Take heed of these notes I found in others’ reviews: Temper your egg, do not put it into the melted chocolate. I took half of the chocolate out, cooled it, mixed it with the egg slowly, returned it to the pan. Also, double the amount of chocolate for the topping. Excellent dessert!
I didn’t change a single thing in this recipe and my teenager & his friends call it ‘Mom Sorcery’; in fact it is his birthday ‘cake’ this year. I did take the advice of mixing the chocolate into the egg to avoid curdling because why risk it, right? ☆☆☆☆☆
I been making these bars for years. Always a hit. My American friends love them.
Omg best ever!!!!
It was delicious! The only change I made was to double the chocolate topping (I also used semi-sweet mini chips). It was wonderful!
Super easy to follow recipe. I used 9×9″ pan and omitted almonds from the bottom layer. After pressing in graham cracker crust I added 1/2 cup quartered pecans. I used custard powder from flan pudding box and spread it on top, then cooled it. For the chocolate top I used 16 Hershey’s hot cocoa kisses. Melted them as directed and poured on top of custard. Outrageously delicious! Thanks!
Followed the recipe as written – using Bird’s Custard powder and lined the 8×8 pan with parchment – and they turned out amazing. I used a paring knife to score the chocolate before it was completely hard, and then they were super easy to cut neatly afterwords. My first thought was why have I assumed these were difficult to make? A definite keeper!
I love these, but I like something with a stronger cocoa punch, so… I used special dark cocoa power and added 1/2 tbsp of espresso powder to the crust layer. I also made a ganache with bitter sweet chocolate for the top layer. 4-5oz is plenty for this layer if using a 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan for either topping method.
This was surprisingly easy to make! I followed the recipe using some suggestions found in the comments. One thing I tried differently was replace the graham crackers with more nuts. I love the extra crunch it gives! This replacement made the dish gluten free, so guests with gluten allergies can enjoy them guilt free too!
Super easy to follow! My husband can’t have dairy so I replaced the custard powder with the cornstarch method and used full-fat coconut milk in place of the cream. Only minor problem I had was spreading the top layer of chocolate on top. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and dairy-free butter. Definitely wasn’t as liquidy as it was in the video. It started slightly melting the middle layer. Did anyone else have this issue or did I just get the measurements all wrong with my substitutions for the chocolate?
I’ve made this recipe several times, best nanaimo bars ever. I follow the tpis in the comments, omit the almond, & double the chocolate top. If you want to make it gluten free, crushed Schär Honeygrams are a great substitute for graham cracker crumbs.
These were too sweet for me. Also, after making the middle layer, I thought it would have tasted better to just use vanilla rather than vanilla pudding. I didn’t think the vanilla pudding added enough flavor to make a difference. The color was pretty though. And of course custard powder may make a greater impact in flavor than the pudding did. I won’t make these again.
These are simply outstanding. Seriously, it’s my new favorite dessert. Great recipe and I will definitely make these again. I didn’t have custard powder so I substituted it with instant vanilla pudding mix and it went well. Also, I ended up needing more chocolate to get a proper layer and also a higher concentration of butter in the chocolate to get the right viscosity, but those are easy tweaks. Definitely recommend the double boiler method for melting. Thanks for the recipe, these are seriously amazing.
While not a difficult process, it is a long one that starts with measuring lots of wonderful ingredients, and so is also takes a lot of clean up. I prepped all the ingredients the night before and had them all labeled. I thought assembly would be faster than the prep, but no. In the end I had grave doubts about the bottom layer holding together although I deliberately pressed as hard as possible to compact them. I didn’t think the top layer had enough chocolate and it certainly wasn’t very spreadable. Wish I could say I was wrong. After 5 plus hours in the frig, I cut the bars to have for dessert. What an awful mess! The whole bottom layer was crumbles. Too much time for a huge mess! Required a spoon to eat and even my husband, who never complains about anything served, asked if should go on top of something like ice cream. UGH, it already packs a heavy fat and calorie load as it is.
I was skeptical because I am not good with desserts. I can cook anything you throw at me but when it comes to sugar It’s a different story. These turned out GREAT! I didn’t use egg or coconut because of my family but followed the instructions and will make this again! I got the custard power on Amazon for those of you looking.My husband and son LOVED them. Thank you for posting this! So easy and delicious.
I used 4 ounces (that is 4 times the recommended amount) of chocolate to top and it was not *nearly* enough. Likely needs 8oz (two Ghirardelli bars). The key is to freeze the first two layers and quickly add the chocolate while warm (not super hot) so you don’t have layers mixing. Custard powder is 100% needed.
Verified by Canadians (from BC) that this is the real deal. ‘Nuff said.
This is exactly what a Nanaimo bar should be (coming from a Canadian who ate a lot of them as a kid and recently got a wicked craving). The only modifications I made were half a cup less of icing sugar in the middle layer (I like the middle a little less sweet), and I think the 1 oz chocolate for the top layer is a mistake/typo, it’s not enough to even cover half of it. It should be 4 oz and increase butter proportionately. I also froze them for a half hour before cutting in. I’d use parchment paper next time because they were a bit hard to get out of the dish. But they taste incredible.
Great recipe, got raves. Thank you!
Made as stated, with almonds parchment paper underneath would have been wise.