Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars (N.B.s for short) are one of Canada's favorite confections. The beautiful City of Nanaimo, British Columbia has claimed these squares as their own, telling us on their website that it all began when a Nanaimo housewife entered a recipe for chocolate squares in a magazine contest some 35 years ago. She called her recipe 'Nanaimo Bars' and when she won the contest, not only did her dessert become popular throughout Canada, so did the town they were named after. These no-bake, three layered bars are famous for a reason, they are delicious. They start with a crumb base, followed by a layer of light custard buttercream, and the crowning glory is a smooth and glossy layer of semi sweet chocolate.    


Ingredients
For Bottom layer:
113 gr. unsalted butter, room temperature
50 gr. granulated white sugar
30 gr. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
200 gr. graham cracker crumbs or crushed Digestive Biscuits
65 gr. sweetened or unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)
50 gr. walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
For middle Layer:
56 gr. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream
20 gr. vanilla custard powder (Bird's) or vanilla pudding powder
230 gr. powdered sugar (confectioners or icing)  sugar
For Top Layer:
120 gr. semisweet chocolate
14 gr. unsalted butter


Butter or spray 23 x 23 cm pan with a non stick vegetable spray.
Bottom Layer: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. 

Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).
Middle Layer: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

Top Layer: Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Then, in a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the filling and refrigerate for about 10 minutes or just until the chocolate has set.

Using a sharp knife, cut into squares =D