Bring the taste of British Columbia to your dinner table with fresh seafood recipes for Sockeye Salmon, Spot Prawns with White Wine Sauce, and Dungeness crab. Top off your meal with Bannock Bread and classic Nanaimo Bars if you’re not too full. There are lots of flavours to savour in British Columbia, and these are a few favourites from this stop.
Drum roll, please…a staple in British Columbia and found across Canada and the United States is the delicious dessert: Nanaimo Bars. This no-bake dessert bar consists of a layer of graham wafer crumb and shredded coconut base, a layer of custard-flavoured butter icing in the middle, and topped with chocolate ganache. The bars are named after Nanaimo, B.C., where they became popular after the Second World War.
PrintCanadian Food Tour! BC favourite Nanaimo Bar
Drum roll, please…a staple in British Columbia and found across Canada and the United States is the delicious dessert: Nanaimo Bars. This no-bake dessert bar consists of a layer of graham wafer crumb and shredded coconut base, a layer of custard-flavoured butter icing in the middle, and topped with chocolate ganache. The bars are named after Nanaimo, B.C., where they became popular after the Second World War.
- Prep Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg beaten
1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut
Second Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons cream
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar
Third Layer
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Step 1: Melt butter, sugar, and cocoa on top of double boiler.
Step 2: Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8″ x 8″ pan.
Step 4: Mix cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.
Step 5: Melt chocolate and butter over double boiler on medium heat.
Step 6: Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.