{"id":45449,"date":"2020-11-29T08:31:07","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T13:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/?p=45449"},"modified":"2024-12-24T11:49:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T11:49:30","slug":"easy-nanaimo-bars-made-three-different-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalskyweb.co\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/2020\/11\/29\/easy-nanaimo-bars-made-three-different-ways\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Canadian Nanaimo Bars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>10<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get ready to indulge this holiday season with my Canadian Nanaimo Bars, a classic for our family at Christmas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nanaimo Bars are the national dessert of Canada and are a no-bake recipe perfect for Christmas, New Year’s, Birthday, Funeral, Bar Mitzvah, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada’s National Dessert – The Nanaimo Bar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nanaimo Bars first came to life in 1952 in a Woman’s Auxiliary cookbook at the Nanaimo Hospital, and it was named Chocolate Squares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Food Network Canada history of the Nanaimo bar<\/strong>, it later popped up in Vancouver in a cookbook by Edith Adams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edith called the chocolate squares<\/strong> Nanaimo bars, which were fitting since that’s where they were first created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before Edith named the Nanaimo bar, the recipe appeared in The Sun called the London Fog Bar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bar itself was named after the city of invention, Nanaimo, British Columbia, and is coined Canada’s national dessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of you may be familiar with these types of cookbooks, and they are still made today in hospitals and schools to raise money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our son’s school has them for sale once a year, where parents send in their recipes and photos for the cookbook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a great way to showcase traditional recipes that are part of your family.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Nanaimo<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Before we get into the Nanaimo Bar recipe, I want to thank Christine Weadick for the photos and recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These Nanaimo Bars are a Christmas tradition in her house, and I’ve been holding on to the recipe for two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we can say that it’s up on the blog, and it’s truly an easy Nanaimo bar recipe that is hard to resist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nanaimo Bars Are Easy To Make<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Besides its fantastic taste, one of the reasons it’s so popular is that Nanaimo Bars are a no-bake recipe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll start to see Nanaimo bar recipes pop up around the Christmas holidays for family gatherings as a sweet treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most grocery stores, including Costco in Canada, offer pre-made Nanaimo bars, but homemade bars are always the best<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides, making Nanaimo bars at home is far cheaper than buying them at the store or a bakery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is A Nanaimo Bar?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s break down the Nanaimo Bar into three layers since that’s what you’ll get when you bite into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Layer 1 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

C0conut and graham cracker and chocolate layer pressed into a lined baking pan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Layer 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Custard or Vanilla icing filling for the center (this is where you can create new flavors of Nanaimo bars such as mint or cherry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Layer 3<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The top layer is a thick chocolate coating similar to ganache so that the chocolate cracks in your mouth when you bite into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to your chocolate layer while the chocolate is melting will also give it a glossy effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s so good and customarily you would find them out for Christmas, New Year’s, Birthday, Weddings, Funerals, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At my father-in-law’s funeral luncheon, I first had a Nanaimo bar from the dessert table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutting Nanaimo Bars<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Cutting<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is the part of the recipe where you want to be mindful and gentle with your Nanaimo bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thick top layer of chocolate can crack if you make the wrong move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the Nanaimo bars are done, please put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the chocolate firm up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also will prevent the layers of your Nanaimo bars from melting or the layers bleeding into each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they begin to firm up, take a sharp knife and score the Nanaimo bars where you want to cut them into squares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t have to be perfect, but if you want your bar uniform, you can use a ruler to guide your knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they are firmed up, remove the parchment paper with the Nanaimo bars to a cutting board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut the lines where you scored to the bottom using your sharp knife to get lovely, clean squares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, for some reason, you put the Nanaimo bars in the freezer instead of the refrigerator, put them in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By doing this, the bars will defrost, and then you can cut them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freezing Nanaimo Bars<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Can you freeze Nanaimo Bars?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can freeze Nanaimo bars, but I would score and cut them before I froze them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will save you the headache of trying to cut them afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once cut into bars, place parchment or wax paper at the bottom of your tin and store them for up to 3 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives you ample time to make them for the Christmas holidays as gifts for friends and family or to set out on the treat table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Pronounce Nanaimo?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This can be tricky for some people, just like the name Edinburgh always gets pronounced wrong in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least the people I encounter can’t pronounce it, but we all still know what it means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s break it down. Nuh-Neye- Mo.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does that sound?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just made that up, so take it, leave it, or comment below how you would break it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Make Nanaimo Bars<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"How-To-Make-Nanaimo-Bars\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The first one is the almonds, coconut, and graham cracker crumbs waiting to be added to the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second photo contains the eggs, cocoa, sugar, and butter before cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once that is cooked, I dump the almond, coconut, and cracker mix in and stir fast before leaving in the lined pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third is the base pressed into the lined pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number 4 is the custard powder, water, butter, and lemon peel before I start making the middle layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fifth photo is the middle layer spread in the pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, the top layer is the melted chocolate I scored once chilled in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recipe calls for a 9X9 pan, but I have this 7X11 pan I got in a setback when I got married, so it’s over 40 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Different Varieties Of Nanaimo Bars<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"cherry<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cherry Nanaimo Squares<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Cherry<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How To Make Cherry Nanaimo Bars<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Omit the lemon zest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add chopped up 12-15 well-drained maraschino cherries with the sugar and replace the water with 2 Tablespoons juice from the cherry jar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow with custard powder, butter, drained chopped maraschino cherries, and some juice from the cherry jar in place of the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second shot is the cherry filling before the melted chocolate is poured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, we have cherry squares with the chocolate scored, so it hopefully doesn’t crack when you cut it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Cherry<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Cutting<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mint Nanaimo Squares<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How to make Mint Nanaimo Bars<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omit the lemon zest. Add peppermint extract<\/strong> <\/a>to taste and a few drops of green food coloring<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mint squares were lifted from the pan with the wax paper ready to be scored, cut, and placed in the tin for the freezer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Printable version below<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Base Layer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n