Nanaimo Bars
With a crispy, crunchy base layer loaded with chocolate, coconut, digestive biscuits and roast almonds, a rich yet light, creamy middle layer flavoured with custard and vanilla, these bars are then finished with a thick layer of chocolate ganache, with a slight salty kick.
Ingredients
For the bottom layer:
- 35g whole almonds
- 115g unsalted butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 40g unsweetened cocoa
- 1 large egg
- 180g digestive biscuits (12 biscuits)
- 100g desiccated coconut
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
For the middle layer:
- 115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 240g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons custard powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 180g semi sweet chocolate (I used Bournville)
- 30g unsalted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Make the bottom layer: preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C /200°C/400°F/Gas 6
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Roast the nuts in a preheated oven for around 8 minutes, remembering to give them a shake or stir after 4 minutes.
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Crush the digestives. The easiest way to do this, is to put them in a plastic bag and use rolling pin to crush them.
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Chop the nuts or put them in a small food processor and pulse until you get the texture you like. I like a mix of larger and smaller pieces.
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Put the butter, cocoa, sugar and salt in a small saucepan, heat over a moderate temperature and whisk with a balloon whisk until melted and no lumps remain.
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Add the beaten and mix well. Cook over a moderate heat, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. This ensures the egg cooks. It will look grainy and as if it has separated but that is OK. It will come together.
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Add the digestives, chopped nuts and coconut. Stir to mix – it is important to ensure you do this thoroughly. It can take a good few minutes.
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Tip into a lined square baking tin and level the surface, making sure you press down quite hard and push it into the corners of the tin.
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Put in the fridge to harden whilst you make the middle layer.
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Make the middle layer: beat the butter until light and fluffy
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Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add ½ of the icing sugar and mix in by hand. (This avoids an icing sugar cloud and lots of mess over the kitchen!)
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Now add the custard powder and the salt and mix again, by hand before beating again with an electric whisk.
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Fold in the remaining icing sugar, cream and vanilla extract by hand, before beating again until light and fluffy.
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Top the bottom layer with the custard cream and level the surface.
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Put in the fridge whilst you make the top layer.
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Make the top layer: Melt the chocolate a bain marie or in the microwave. (See comments below)
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Add the butter and salt. Stir to mix thoroughly. It will thicken as you do this. Leave to cool completely before using – this is important or it will melt the middle layer.
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When it is cool, spread gently over the cream layer.
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Use a palette knife to make a nice pattern!
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When the ganache has set, cut into 16 sweet, creamy, delicious Nanaimo bars! Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- chopping board and knife
- baking tray
- small food processor
- saucepan
- electric whisk and mixing bowl
- microwave sage jug or bowl
Be very careful melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy.
Microwave: I give the chocolate and butter a minute in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 – 15 second bursts.
Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.