Nanaimo Bars

Vancouver, British Columbia will be in the limelight later this month, as viewers around the world tune their televisions in to the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Along with an estimated 2 billion people worldwide, I watched the fantastic opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and I’m curious to see if Vancouver will put on an equally breathtaking show. And I’m excited about the events, too; winter sports are an interesting combination of the sublime (like figure skating and ski jumping) and the slightly ridiculous, though no less impressive (luge and curling). If you’re planning to have friends over to watch the Games, and want to serve Olympic-themed food, I can’t think of a more appropriate (or decadent) dessert than the rich, chocolaty confections invented in, and named for, a city that’s just across the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island—Nanaimo.

Nanaimo bars consist of three rich layers—a chocolate-graham cracker base embedded with coconut and nuts; a buttercream middle enriched with vanilla custard powder; and a smooth dark chocolate top. Although the filling lends itself to all kinds of variations, like peanut butter, mocha, or mint, you can’t go wrong sticking to the original vanilla. Aside from using instant pudding mix in place of custard powder (a common substitution in the States), the recipe I use departs from tradition in a couple of ways: For the crumb layer, rather than just stirring the eggs into the butter, sugar, and cocoa, the mixture is heated in a double boiler until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Since the bars aren’t baked, this step ensures that the eggs are properly cooked. And for the topping, instead of simply melting chocolate and butter, this recipe also adds a small amount of cream, to make the chocolate layer easier to spread and cut.

Have I mentioned these bars are rich? The Olympic Rings cookie cutter makes a nice size for a dessert; if you are going to serve these as a snack, you could cut them into small squares.

Ann
Ann Clark, Ltd.


Nanaimo Bars
Makes about 12 large cut-out bars, or 72 small bars
You’ll need a little less than a full box of graham crackers to make the crumbs for these bars. Walnuts and almonds are both traditional, but pecans are also good in the crumb layer. Because these bars are not baked, the egg mixture is heated to 160 degrees for food safety reasons.

Stir together in a large bowl and set aside:
- 3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 1 cup nuts, chopped fine

Melt in the top of a double boiler over simmering water:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa

Add:
- 2 large eggs, beaten

Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees. Immediately pour over graham cracker mixture and blend thoroughly. (Once the mixture has cooled, you may use your hands.) Sprinkle evenly into a 12 by 18-inch jellyroll or half-sheet pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and, using the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup, press firmly into an even layer.

Beat with an electric mixer:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Add and beat:
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Whisk together until dissolved:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding powder

Add to butter mixture and beat 1 to 2 minutes. Spread in an even layer over graham cracker mixture and refrigerate.

In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, stir until melted and smooth:
- 12 ounces (about 2 cups) finely chopped semisweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cool until just barely warm but still liquid, and pour over vanilla buttercream mixture. Spread evenly and smooth the surface. Refrigerate until chocolate topping is firm, then cut bars with your favorite Ann Clark, Ltd. cookie cutters.

My favorite shapes for Nanaimo Bars include the Olympic Rings cookie cutter, the Mountain Bear cookie cutter, and the Fish cookie cutter.