Nanaimo Bars (Made by Anna Olson)

Name: Nanaimo Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: Crust; 1 cup (160 g) graham cracker crumbs; 3 Tbsp (15 g) cocoa powder; ½ tsp (2 mL) salt; 1 cup (100 g) sweetened flaked coconut; ½ cup (50 g) walnut pieces; 6 Tbsp (90 g) unsalted butter, melted; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; Filling; ½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2 cups (260 g) icing sugar, sifted; 2 Tbsp (30 g) vanilla custard powder; pinch salt; 3 Tbsp (45 mL) milk; 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract; Topping; 4 oz (120 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped; 2 Tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter; sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

by Anna Olson July 1, 2020

written by Anna Olson July 1, 2020

Nanaimo Bars are on the menu in Chef Anna Olson’s amazing kitchen, and she is going to teach you how to make this delicious recipe from scratch!

Follow along with the recipes below!

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Nanaimo Bars

Rating: 3.3/5
( 9 voted )

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup (160 g) graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp (15 g) cocoa powder
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
1 cup (100 g) sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup (50 g) walnut pieces
6 Tbsp (90 g) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling

½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (260 g) icing sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp (30 g) vanilla custard powder
pinch salt
3 Tbsp (45 mL) milk
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

Topping

4 oz (120 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter
sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan and line it with parchment paper so that it comes up the sides.
For the crust, combine the graham crumbs with the cocoa powder and salt, then, add the coconut & walnut pieces. Stir in the melted butter and the egg and stir until blended. Press this into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Cool the crust completely before preparing the filling.
By hand, beat the butter with 1 cup (130 g) of the icing sugar, the custard powder, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla and beat in (don’t worry if it doesn’t look smooth at this point – it will smooth out), and then beat in the remaining 1 cup (130 g) of icing sugar. Do not overbeat – the filling should be smooth but not fluffy. Spread this evenly over the cooled crust.
For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter in a metal bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring gently with a spatula until melted. Cool the chocolate slightly and then pour this over the filling, spreading to cover it. If you wish, sprinkle the top with a little sea salt. Chill the pan for about 2 hours before slicing into bars.

Notes

Nanaimo Bars will keep for up to a week refrigerated.

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Recipe video

Enjoy

Anna Olson

Chef Anna Olson is here to teach you how to bake and cook every dish you could ever want to make! Follow along with the recipes in the descriptions and you will be a star in the kitchen in no time!

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3 comments

Ernestina Espinoza March 12, 2021 - 18

I love it

Angie August 16, 2021 - 17

Hello I’d love to get a picture of Anna or a recipe book. I am on a fixed income and can’t afford to buy it. I watch her all the time and I make her recipes .