Nanaimo Bars Are Not A Food Group...

Nanaimo Bars are not a food group. Not that you could tell by their huge presence in my life. If like Nanaimo Bars, you need to make these. If you don't like Nanaimo bars, you should still make these.
 Apparently these are a Canadian treat and are mostly just common in BC. Weird!

AND if you think that store bought nanaimo bars are good enough...I don't even know what to say. They are not. Make homemade ones and then cry because you will never want to eat anything else.

Earlier in November, I found the most amazing recipe for Nanaimo Bars I could imagine. There is a lot of butter, and coconut and chocolate and custard powder. YUM YUM YUM

Shoot.. I did take picture of the whole process...but my kitchen has bad light, and it was dark outside so the pictures are extra yellow and bad looking...so no pictures yet...Next time I make these I will update the pictures! :)

Here is the recipe.
(oh! I usually double this and make it in a 9x13, but this recipe is for a 9x9)

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cup graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup of fine, unsweetened coconut

1) Melt butter in a medium pot on the stove, stir in sugar, and cocoa
2) Beat egg in a small bowl and add a tablespoon of chocolate/butter mixture to the egg and stir quickly. This will warm the egg up a bit and help keep it from cooking when you add it to the pot.
3) Remove chocolate mixture from heat and pour egg into the pot and stir quickly to combine and prevent egg cooking.
4) Continue to stir as the mixture thickens up quite a bit.
5) Add nuts and coconut and stir to combine. Lastly, add graham crumbs 1/4 cup at a time. Sometime you will need less then 1 1/4 cup. You do not want your mixture to be too dry.
6) Press base into the bottom of a tin foil lined 9x9 pan.
7) Chill for 1 hour minimum.

Middle layer:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Tablespoons Birds Eye Custard Powder
3 Tablespoons of heavy cream ( whipping cream)
2 cups of icing sugar

1) Cream butter together with the custard powder.
2) Add icing sugar and stir to combine.
3) Add the cream a little at a time until you have a smooth, spreadable mixture.
4) Spread over chilled base, and chill for at least another hour.

Top
5 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

1) Melt butter and chocolate together in a small pot over low heat stirring frequently.
2) Pour and spread over chilled custard layer
3) Let bars sit in a cool place until chocolate is firm but not hard.


Cutting:
While cutting these bars, you have to be very careful the the chocolate is does not crack. It is helpful to cut the entire bar at the same time when the chocolate is not too hard.
Use a very sharp and large knife and cut into small squares.
These freeze very well in airtight containers with wax paper between each layer.