The Nanaimo Bar is a wonderfully unique and sumptuous dessert that originates on Vancouver Island, which happens to be where most of my husband’s family lives. Nanaimo Bars are rarely seen in the US. The Bar’s cult following and ubiquitous presence in Canada has yet to entice America’s palate. Somehow I feel responsible to share this recipe with you!
One bite of this multi-layered confection triggers bittersweet memories of my sister-in-law, Sheila, who passed away over a year ago. Baking was Sheila’s forte and at most family events we were pampered with her skillfully-prepared pies, cookies, cakes and, most importantly, Nanaimo Bars. The energy and care put into every task she conquered was a sheer marvel. I admired her grasp on life and how her spirit was transferred to every person and project she touched. As a mother, daughter, sister, wife and cook, she quickly became my role model.
The chocolate nutty cookie crust flecked with morsels of chewy coconut is the bar’s foundation. It builds into a layer of rich vanilla cream and is crowned by a crunchy layer of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. The three textures — crumbly, creamy and crunchy — are magic, making them perfect treats for the holidays or any time of year. There are still moments I can see Sheila preparing them in her Island home, chatting with her family, with a young assistant standing patiently on a stool waiting for the final product or at least a spoon to lick.
Sheila and memories of her kitchen will always hold a special place in my heart. She died after falling asleep one evening at the age of 51. There was no reason – she was perfectly healthy. It remains a mystery. A surreal and pervasive grief gripped our family for the days and months to come. She left us way too early. Our vacations and holidays on the Island will never be the same. However, I bake and try to grab each task in life with the same perseverance in honor of her. I have put love and spirit into each ingredient of these Bars in remembrance of my sister-in-law.
Nanaimo Bars
In Canada, Bird’s Custard powder is used instead of instant vanilla pudding. You can find the powder in specialty food stores (especially British) or on Amazon.com
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 1/2 tablespoons cream
2 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding powder (Note: In Canada, Bird’s Custard Powder is used instead of instant vanilla pudding. You can find the powder in specialty food stores, especially British, or on Amazon.com)
2 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Combine the sugar, cocoa and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until butter is melted and everything is well mixed. Remove from heat and quickly stir in beaten egg. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, nuts and coconut.
Press mixture firmly into a lightly greased, 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate for one hour.
Meanwhile, beat the milk, pudding powder, powdered sugar and 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. It should have the consistency of butter cream frosting. Spread over chilled base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Pour over bars and spread evenly. Return to refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
You can find lots more delicious recipes on Liz Hughes’ blog, Virtually Homemade.
This post originally appeared on my former blog, StyleSubstanceSoul.
Yum! You can find Nanaimo bars here, in the Northwest. We sold them at a little cafe that I used to work at, years ago, when I wasn’t totally burned out on food service & they were delicious! We had them brought in from a local bakery & they were one of the most popular items in the cafe. I wonder why thy haven’t caught on? Thank you for the recipe!
Oh my goodness… what a wonderful recipe and touching and heartbreaking story. I will make these and be reminded to slow down, make home cooked things more often, really look at the faces of the people enjoying the food and be more grateful. Thank you, thank you.
Ah Nanaimo bars…I have the original newspaper clipping from when it was first published. It belonged to my grandmother and we passed it on like a treasured family recipe stolen from Nanaimo via Victoria and Vancouver and now Solana Beach. In Canada Robin Hood brand makes a great mix that is only available during the holiday season. Of course, from scratch is always the best.
Lovely to see it remembered so fondly by other famillies too.
Wow Jeann! Amazing that you have the original recipe and now well represented in SoCal. The Robin Hood Brands also bring back memories of living in Canada. Thank you for sharing. As well Lisa and Shelley thank you for your lovely comments.
What a wonderful recipe to accompany a truly touching story. I’m making these bars today to share with my family and friends for Christmas and I know they will be a tremendous hit. Thank you for sharing — we’ll get the message out and before you know it Namaimo bars will become an American favorite too.
I can’t wait to bake them.
What a beautiful tribute to a life well lived nonetheless too short.
my sister-in-law has almost exactly the same recipe and i have a very similar one called eastside bars. it’s a wonderful thing to have those family recipes. my mom wrote down very few recipes and over the years, measurements in cans, bottles etc have changed so trying to duplicate any of her recipes is very difficult. but i’ve got one sister-in-law who is much more comfortable in the kitchen than i am and she has succeeded quite nicely at duplicating the christmas punch my mom made every year! write ’em down, ladies!
great thoughts cathy. food is a link to many precious memories!
I meant to copy the recipe for Nanaimo Bars when you first ran this article so am really pleased that it is still available. Years ago I had a recipe for Nanaimo Bars which was very similar to this one and it was a must-have at Christmas. Unfortunately in a complete house remodel, some of my recipes were lost. I am excited to have a copy of the original bar and will enjoy serving it to family and friends again. Thanks for the touching story and the recipe.
May I share your receipe on my blog, Annie’s Sweet Tooth?
http://anniessweettooth.blogspot.com/ I will credit you with the recipe and photo.
Interestingly, my blog is named after a cookbook published as a fund raiser for the MDS Foundation, in honor of my sister Ann, who passed away at age 50 from complications of the disease.
I am very sorry for your loss.
Nancy, you can feel free to use the recipe if you mention you found it on StyleSubstanceSoul.com and link to the piece here. Thanks, and we are very sorry for your loss as well.
Hi, I moved to Washington, DC from Edmonton, Alberta and was astonished to discover that no one here knew what Nanaimo Bars were (or Butter Tarts for that matter)! So, I’ve done a crazy thing: opened a bakery specializing in these and other Canadian treats. There are so many ex-pat Canadians here that I have a steady demand for them but most importantly, I’m finding that Americans are starting to catch on to the goodness of the Nanaimo Bar.
I recently followed my Oma’s recipe for making these as I had not done so in a long while. Then I followed your sister in laws recipe. Being that they are both from Western Canada I figured there would be variations and wanted to know what I would tweak. I thought your sis in laws was best but here is what I did to tweak it. I eliminated the sugar bc the sweetened coconut is enough and instead of using sweetened melted chocolate I only used the unsweetened. I am glad I made it a couple of times recently. The Philosophy Dept gathering we had here and the Fund Raiser for a community we help to sponsor in El Salvador left the dessert platter empty and asking for the recipe:)) I will have to wait until after my cleanse to make it again….it will be worth the wait. xxo