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Nanaimo Bars

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Nanaimo Bars
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Super easy no-bake bars with a chocolate crumb base topped with a custard icing layer all topped off with a chocolate ganache topping!

When I was growing up both my grandmother and my mother always had cookie platters around for the holidays and one of the staples, and my favourites, are these nanaimo bars. Nanaimo bars are a dessert bars with layers of chocolate crumbs, custard icing and a chocolate ganache that are of Canadian origin. These bars are super easy to make! In fact they are no-bake, simply requiring melting a few ingredients on the stove top before assembling and chilling. The base is made with cookie crumbs mixed with chocolate, coconut and walnuts, which is a fabulous flavour combo! The next layer is a butter icing with custard powder mixed in, though vanilla pudding powder can also be used. The top layer is a chocolate ganache, which is basically just chocolate melted into a bit of butter, that is poured over the top before being chilled back into a solid so that the bars can be sliced. Today I continue to make these amazing nanaimo bars every year for my holiday cookie platter!

Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars
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Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars

Prep Time:20 minutes Cook Time:15 minutes Total Time:35 minutes Servings: 16

Super easy no-bake bars with a chocolate crumb base topped with a custard icing layer all topped off with a chocolate ganache topping!

ingredients
    For the chocolate base:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
    • For the custard filling:
  • 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon custard powder (or vanilla pudding powder)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 cups icing/confectioners/powdered sugar
    • For the chocolate topping:
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (chips or chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
directions
    For the chocolate base:
  1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, stir in the sugar and cocoa powder until smooth, remove from heat and whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
  2. Stir the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts into the sauce and press into the bottom of a greased 8 inch square pan, before chilling for 20 minutes.
    3. For the custard filling:
  3. Meanwhile, cream the butter before beating in the the custard powder and milk, followed by the sugar, one cup at a time, and spreading it over the chocolate base and chilling in the fridge for 20 minutes.
    4. For the chocolate topping:
  4. Melt the chocolate and butter in a pan over medium-low heat and stir until smooth before pouring over the filling layer and chill in a fridge until the chocolate begins to harden.
  5. Score the chocolate where you will cut it into bars and chill in the fridge and before the chocolate completely hardens, cut into bars.
Option: Omit the coconut.
Option: Omit the walnuts or replace with another nut like pecans.
Option: Add a flavour, like mint, mocha, peanut butter, to the custard filling!
Nutrition Facts: Calories 186, Fat 11g (Saturated 6g, Trans 0.2g), Cholesterol 21mg, Sodium 24mg, Carbs 22g (Fiber 1g, Sugars 17g), Protein 1g
Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  7. Rita says

    December 19, 2008 at 2:27 am

    How funny! I have been thinking about Nanaimo bars for a week now, probably because I will be in BC next week and will have some for sure. I remember one layer being a litte more yellow though…Don’t know why. Yours look good, enjoy it!

    Reply

    • Brian says

      December 6, 2018 at 6:16 pm

      They are delicious. BTW, people often ask how Nanaimo is pronounced. It is like this … Nuh-Nie-Moe. It’s the name of a city in western Canada. There are variations on this (different flavours), but the original recipe is still the best, IMO.

      Reply

  16. Debby says

    December 19, 2008 at 5:12 am

    Funny, I was thinking of making these. I’ve made them every Christmas (I leave out the coconut) and use Burd’s Custard Powder. These are always a big hit and so easy to make. Nice photo…
    I know what I’m making tomorrow!

    Reply

  18. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2008 at 6:03 am

    I’m such a sucker for nanaimo bars! The only time I ever made them was out of a box (with the bright green mint custard filling), but now I don’t have to wait until I go home for these. Bookmarked!

    Reply

  33. bird's eye view says

    December 19, 2008 at 2:13 pm

    mmmm, these are one of my favourites. a lot of your recipes have made it into this year’s family christmas eve dinner. sadly these will not, but i’m drooling on the keyboard anyways.

    Reply

  35. Passionate About Baking says

    December 19, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Beautiful Kevin..just perfect. I 'unbelievingly' did a recce of the list of ingredients & found these very 'doable', cosidering the lack of ingredients in out part of the world. A few small substitutes…& I shall be singing nanaimos! Have a great holiday season!

    Reply

  36. Robin Sue says

    December 19, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    I lost my Nanimo Bar recipe and here it is, right here on your site. Thanks for sharing, I used to like to make these at Christmastime in the past and probably tossed my recipe with my baking mess as I cleaned up. Thanks! Oh how did you cut them to be so perfect, please share!! Pretty please!

    Reply

  57. Kevin says

    December 19, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    Lydia (The Perfect Pantry): According to the wikipedia entry Nanaimo bars original from Nanaimo, British Columbia.

    Robin Sue: After the bars finished chilling in the fridge I cut them with a knife that I ran under the hot water tap and wiped the blade clean after each cut.

    Shannon and Scott: Icing sugar is powdered sugar.

    Reply

  66. pixen says

    December 20, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    Now that’s really scrumptious Kevin. U never heard of Nanaimo Bars, not even from my Canadian neighbour! Very well executed cut and the photography is so tempting. You know what, I may just try your recipe and surprise my neighbour 😀 Thank you for the recipe.

    Happy Holidays!

    Reply

  73. ak says

    December 22, 2008 at 1:39 am

    Kevin, I’ve never left a msg before but I’m an avid reader:) Your Nanaimo bars have tempted me to make a batch – this is the first I’ve heard of them – but I am taking them home for X-mas, I think my family will love them. Thanks!

    Reply

  78. Amanda says

    December 26, 2008 at 6:06 am

    I saw these in a brewpub over Christmas and I was like, “I KNOW WHAT THESE ARE! THESE ARE CANADIAN!”

    Everyone was very impressed with my little trivia knowledge. Thanks! (I had a Irish Cream one and it was delish!)

    Reply

  86. lacucinadimarble says

    February 27, 2009 at 12:33 pm

    my compliments Kevin, you are very… bravo!!!
    I discovered your blog recently and I really like it!

    I’ll make these bars, you can show me how I can change graham cracker crumbs here in Italy we don’t know them.

    sorry for my English but I translate online

    Thanks and compliments again

    Anna Rita

    Reply

  90. Lori says

    May 5, 2009 at 10:21 pm

    These look so amazing Kevin. I want to make some for a family function that is coming up and I got to tell you- yours look incredible.

    Reply

  91. Alessandra says

    May 13, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    I was completely shocked when i saw the pic, I had to click on it!!
    They look good in a lustful way!
    I’ve found today your blog and it looks amazing, I love to start savouring food from the beautiful pictures.
    Greetings from Italy:)
    Bravissimo!

    Reply

  92. Allison says

    June 22, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    I just found your blog through Marie at A Year From Oak Cottage. Wow! You have some incredible looking recipes! Where did you learn to cook?

    Do I need to do any measurement converting to make these in the US?

    Come visit The Rabbit Hole anytime. I have occasional recipes but mostly just fun this and that.

    Reply

  93. Kevin says

    June 24, 2009 at 2:05 am

    Allison: I am mostly self taught as far as cooking goes. You do not need to do any measurement converting, just use the recipe as is. Let me know how they turn out.

    Reply

  94. Anonymous says

    July 2, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    My mom always made these as part of her Christmas baking. The secret is to use Bird's custard powder or it won't taste/look right.

    Reply

  95. Lynn says

    November 18, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    Kevin, did you use sweetened or unsweetened flaked coconut? Also, I've tried making these once and my crust did not come out as thick as your beautiful picture….did you use a smaller pan than mentioned in the recipe? Thanks for your advice!

    Reply

  98. Kevin says

    November 20, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Anonymous: In this recipe you are whisking the egg into the contents of a hot pan while whisking to prevent it from turning into scrambled eggs. You remove the pan from the heat as soon as you add the egg but there will be enough heat to render it safe.

    Reply

  99. Anonymous says

    December 8, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    Hi Kevin,
    Your photo shows a white filling rather than the usual pale yellow of the Bird's custard powder which I am not that keen on…what did you use in place to make it white? I might just have to try these again!
    Thanks very much, and you have a wonderful site!

    Reply

  103. Cinders Kitchen says

    January 1, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    Kevin, I must say I love your blog. You have a beautiful layout and the recipes look great. This particular recipe seems to be the same one my mother used to make at Christmas. They had a different name but it looks to be the same recipe. These were terrific and I had forgotten about them. Thanks for the reminder as I loved these bars!!

    Reply

  105. Jane says

    February 24, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    I read your blog all the time but this is the 1st time I've been compelled to comment. My gal pals & I used to take a yearly pilgrimage from our homes in NE to Nova Scotia via the Scotia Prince. The 1st thing we would do is race up the ship & search for these bars! Thanks for the nostalgia, and all of your very talented recipes!

    Reply

  106. Mark says

    November 30, 2010 at 7:38 pm

    These look delicious. Im just a kid and im already cooking. I always wanted to find something for Christmas Dinner Dessert and now I have. Thanks for a great dessert blog post. Can't wait tell you post more blog posts. I have Sent you my ULR.

    Reply

  108. Trish44145 says

    December 24, 2010 at 2:23 am

    These were fabulous! I have celiac so I used gluten-free graham cracker crumbs and they were delicious and looked just like yours. Planning on taking them to my daughter's house for Christmas, if my husband and I don't eat them all in the meantime. Thanks!

    Reply

  109. ~Maria~ says

    January 29, 2011 at 9:00 pm

    I'm trying out this recipe with Pastry Cream as the custard filling (I'm a Patisserie student at Le Cordon Bleu). I'll let you know how it turns out! I love Nanaimo Bars!

    Reply

  111. Anne-Marie says

    March 15, 2011 at 6:39 pm

    nanaimo bars are my mst have at christmas time. i've been converting all my american friends into nanaimo lovers too. i was just going to suggest that next year you try with chocolate graham cracker crust. that''s how my mom ad i make them and theres really no way to go wrong with more chocolate!

    Reply

  115. Nuša Vogrinčič says

    May 3, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    Nanaimo bar is really awesome. I was wondering if there's any alternative to middle layer, to me it is delicious but its more or less very caloric due to butter and sugar. Vanilla pudding maybe? Thanks and wishing you a lot of suchlike ventures in advance

    Reply

  116. Anonymous says

    May 20, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    can you buy Graham cracker crumbs in Australia and where if not what would be the substitute love your web site the recipes are fantastic many thanks wendy

    Reply

  117. Kevin says

    May 21, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Wendy: I am not sure if graham crackers are available in Australia but if you cannot find them then pretty much any plain cookie like vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits will work with the cocoa or you could even use chocolate cookies, like the tops of Oreos, without the cocoa.

    Reply

  119. gj says

    December 4, 2011 at 12:34 am

    My great grandmother was from Canada and though my grandmother wasn't much of a cook or baker, she always made Nanaimo Bars (which we just call "Nanaimos").

    My kids (now in their 20s) love these and demand them every Christmas.

    Someone commented about the hazard of using raw egg on the bottom layer. If this bothers you, get some pasteurized frozen egg and use that instead.

    Someone else mentioned pastry cream as a substitute for the custard filling, but I don't think that will work. Pastry cream is too soft. The middle layer of the Nanaimo Bars is quite firm.

    For those who can't find graham crackers for the bottom layer, I agree that digestives or vanilla wafers or Marie biscuits will work. Any plain, slightly sweet cookie/biscuit.

    Reply

  120. Becca says

    September 22, 2012 at 2:02 am

    Kevin, did you end up trying any other versions? As the first American generation in my Canadian family I've had only this original style since I didnt have them often & I love them! However, I developed an allergy to coconut (my all-time favorite flavor) at 18, and have not been able to have these for over 10 years. I'd truly appreciate some ideas as to what I can use in the bottom layer instead. Thanks for all you crave!!!

    Reply

  121. Kevin says

    September 25, 2012 at 11:47 am

    Becca: I am really into coconut so I have not tried a version without. You could easily just skip the coconut and use the recipe as it is without. I was recently thinking about trying a version with rolled oats or maybe even quinoa.

    Reply

  122. Anonymous says

    December 9, 2012 at 11:44 pm

    For those who don't have graham crackers available for the bottom layer: I agree that Kevin's suggestion of vanilla wafers would work, but the closest substitute of all is Digestive Biscuits. And I believe the second best would be Marie Biscuits. If I couldn't find either of those I'd probably settle for vanilla wafers.

    Reply

  125. Maureen Fitzpatrick says

    December 28, 2012 at 4:11 am

    I have been making this exact recipe for a few years now. Every Christmas the first thing my brother-in-law asks is if I made nanaimo bars. I got it in a recipe book that I received as a gift. It is really good.

    Reply

  128. Gina Chavez says

    December 6, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    The recipe says to use custard powder but vanilla pudding powder can be substituted instead. Does that mean vanilla pudding that has to be cooked or the instant vanilla pudding. I am from New Mexico and have never heard of custard powder nor have I ever seen it at the store.

    Reply

    • kevin says

      December 7, 2018 at 9:45 am

      Yes, instant vanilla pudding powder (just the powder, uncooked) can be used instead of the instant custard powder. Enjoy!

      Reply

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