Nanaimo Bars
How to make classic Nanaimo bars! These famous Canadian dessert bars have a chocolate coconut base, a custard filling, and chocolate topping!
Nanaimo bars are a Canadian dessert staple! There is probably nothing as famous as a Nanaimo bar when it comes to Canadian dessert cuisine, except perhaps for the butter tart. This buttercream custard-filled bar is a dessert lover’s dream!
The Nanaimo bar is a no-bake bar dessert that is (supposedly) named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. There are a few arguments over where it came from, but we all agree that it was made famous by Nanaimo at the least. It consists of a walnut and crumb-based bottom layer that is pressed into a pan. That layer is then topped by the middle layer, which consists of custard-flavored buttercream icing (which is the best part!) and then covered with melted chocolate. The melted chocolate then hardens, creating a hard chocolate topping.
- ½ cup salted butter
- ⅓ cup sifted cocoa
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg beaten (this can be omitted)
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¾ cup shredded coconut sweetened
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
- 2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons custard powder
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons salted butter